Axe falls on Royal Brierley

Glassmaking at Royal Brierley Crystal is being axed after 231 years in the Black Country, with the loss of five jobs in Dudley, at the end of next month.

Workers at the Tipton Road site were told last week after Devon-based owners Dartington Crystal decided to pull the plug on the historic firm, which has two Royal warrants.

Glass production ends on July 27, although the factory shop will stay open for now, selling glassware, gifts and presentation pieces.

The firm, located next to the Black Country Living Museum, received a visit from the Duke of Edinburgh in 2003.

Closure is another huge blow to the region's once proud glass-making history and comes a year after managers at the factory shop blamed overdue roadworks for slashing sales figures by up to 40 per cent.

The firm moved from its old North Street premises in Brierley Hill in 2002, two years after coming close to extinction as receivers were called in. It employed more than 700 in its heyday.

One employee, who asked not to be named, today said: "Obviously everyone is pretty down. I think the men were quite shocked when they found out – they have been working here since they left school."