More than 100 jobs have been lost at a glass manufacturing company in the Black Country, the Express & Star can reveal today.

Pilkington Sealed Units in Oldbury will close by the end of March with the loss of 111 jobs. Bosses said today the economic climate was to blame for the closure and staff have been told.

Pilkington has now entered a 90-day consultation period with staff over the redundancies.

One worker, who did not want to be named, said today: “We all just feel sick to our stomachs.

“I’ve worked here for 25 years and I don’t know what to do next.

“We all have families and mortgages to think of – not to mention Christmas just around the corner.

“It is a huge blow to us all. When they made the announcement, the girls in the office all had tears in their eyes.”

Pilkington employs more than 4,000 people across the UK. The Oldbury base on the Granada Trading Estate manufactures and distributes glass across central and southern England.

Spokesman David Pinder said the jobs losses were across the board, from factory floor staff to office workers and managers.

He said: “We could not continue in the current economic climate and have entered into a consultation period with the union.

“We are doing everything we can to mitigate with employees and make this as painless as possible.”

Mr Pinder said production would be moved to other sites across the country.

Pilkington has other bases in Nechells, Redditch and Kings Norton, Birmingham, which are unaffected.

The job losses come after the Express & Star revealed yesterday that more than 60 posts are at risk at Easy Fit Conservatories in Tame Bridge, Walsall.