Chicken processing company, the Faccenda Group, has announced that it has no plans to close either its Telford or Dudley plant and in fact will be making significant investment in these sites.

The Unite union had suggested that the company should consider closing the Telford or Dudley plant rather than the plant in Sutton Benger in Wiltshire, where a consultation period with staff is currently under way.

Unite had said that it would make more economic sense to combine the Sutton Benger plant with the company HQ in Brackley, Northants.

Coming out firmly against the closure of Sutton Benger, Unite regional industrial officer, Hugh Kirkbride, said: "We believe this closure is totally unnecessary and does not make economic sense. Not to mention the impact it will have on the 450 staff who work there. This factory is the backbone of this local rural economy."

However, dismissing this plan, a spokesman for Faccenda said a major £2m investment was planned for the Telford and Dudley plants.

He went on: "We can confirm that there are no plans to close the Telford site. In fact, as the company stated in April, we are investing significantly in the Telford site in the next few months.

"The consultation process regarding the proposed closure at our Sutton Benger site is on-going."