An award-winning West Midland firm is shedding jobs after falling victim to the house building slump, the Express & Star can reveal. It is feared 60 jobs could go.

Workers at timber company National Hickman, in Wolverhampton were given the grim news at a mass meeting on Tuesday.

One member of staff at the Sutherland Avenue plant in Bilston said: “It was a terrible shock. Some of those facing the axe have been here for over 20 years. There is a lot of anger over what has happened.”

Just seven months ago the the firm proposed to create dozens of new jobs with a major £5million revamp after receiving a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The workforce had tripled to more than 300 after a management buyout nine years ago saw annual turnover leap from £12m to a projected £50m.

Managing director MIke Burlton explained today: “It is logical for the business to adjust to address current market conditions. Regrettably, as part of this strategy, the company does need to reduce its head count.”

He declined to discuss the number of employees affected or whether these would be compulsory redundancies. He added: “The UK house building industry is in one of its worst times.”