British Gas office in Oldbury shuts leaving 200 staff out of work before Christmas

The energy firm revealed plans in April to close its office at Swallowfield One. A total of 645 jobs were axed.

Now British Gas has confirmed its offices closed earlier this month.

The giant has revealed 420 of the Oldbury staff have now found new jobs elsewhere.

Sandwell Council leaders called the closure a 'devastating blow' to Oldbury which has also seen the loss of jobs at Npower and Carphone Warehouse.

The latest figures from Sandwell Council reveal more than 200 former British Gas workers remain out of work following the closure at Oldbury.

Councillor Stephen Jones, chairman of the jobs, economy and enterprise scrutiny board, said: "This is just another devastating blow to Oldbury. More than 600 jobs have gone here, and with 1,400 jobs lost at Npower in Oldbury and those at Carphone Warehouse in the town, that adds up to more than 2,000.

"I would like to know why those jobs have gone at British Gas. I think it is unfair that because five per cent of their share prices were lost, we lose almost 700 jobs."

Councillor Jones said the figure for staff out of work was revealed at the last jobs, economy and enterprise scrutiny committee meeting in October. But an update on that number will be delivered at the next meeting.

Sandwell Council and Job Centre Plus agencies stepped in to help staff find new jobs following the losses at British Gas in Oldbury.

A spokesman for trade union UNISON said they hoped British Gas would not give up on finding staff jobs who had not yet secured new ones.

Claire Miles, managing director of customer operations at British Gas, said: "To date 420 of the 645 leavers have found new employment and a further 84 have decided to leave employment, the majority of these having chosen to retire."

The offices were closed on November 11.