Salmon smoker to close

Brookside Products Ltd, which owns the Maryport plant, made the decision after a 30-day consultation period failed to produce any viable alternatives to closure, despite over £400,000 being invested in the plant over the last three years.

A third of the firm's 64 workers have found other jobs or been redeployed within the company, but director Doug Aitchison told the BBC that there was “no good news”.

He explained: "The 30-day consultation period has passed and while initially there seemed to be a reasonable level of interest, discussions with interested parties have come to an end and no formal offers have been received.

"We have explored all the options and there seems to be no viable alternatives. Sadly, this means the facility will now close.”