More than 280 jobs at risk under plans to close seafood factory

At least 280 jobs are under threat due to the proposed closure of a Young’s Seafood factory, in Grimsby.

Proposals have been revealed to halt production at Marsden Road and move what is left to the company’s other base in Grimsby and a location in Scotland.

Sofina Foods Europe, which owns Young’s, said the threatened site, which employs 297 people, was “no longer financially sustainable.” However, staff and unions will be consulted before a formal decision is made.

Sofina said the Marsden Road site, which is mainly used to produce whitefish products, could stop production from October.

A spokesman told the BBC the closure could result in a loss of 285 roles but said the business would “work hard to maintain the employment of all colleagues throughout this transition.”

He added: “During the coming months, we will work closely with our employees and any other appropriate organisation, to ensure that there is meaningful consultation before any decisions are made and that colleagues at Marsden Road have all the information and support they need.

“Proposals to cease production at the Marsden Road site does not reflect on the committed and skilled teams who work there – they are a credit to the company.”

Sofina added the proposals had been made “following changes in future demands for products” at the Marsden Road factory and an inability to “find any viable solutions.”

It said some new roles would be created at the town’s other site on Humberstone Road and at Fraserburgh in Scotland.