Jobs go at engineering firm

Twenty workers have been made redundant from an Aldridge engineering firm, leaving fitters, welders, drivers and storekeepers out of work.

James Walker Engineering Services closed down on December 31, Melissa Franklin, spokeswoman at the company's head office in Woking in Surrey confirmed.

Father and son Andrew Wagstaff, aged 46, and Shaun Hale, 26, of Ogley Hay Road in Brownhills, were two of those who lost their jobs. Mr Wagstaff said: "We were told on December 31 we were being made redundant. It is an awful start to the New Year."

James Walker is part of an international group with a turnover of around £100million. The hydraulics operation was set up 10 years ago in West Bromwich and moved to Tintagel Way in Aldridge in 1999.

It provides hydraulic equipment used to move oil rigs and to erect suspension bridges, refurbishes valves, boilers, pumps and provides labour for site shutdowns.

Meanwhile in Stourbridge, union officials today revealed bosses at Caparo Aluminium Technologies have asked for volunteers to take redundancy, with 27 jobs under threat.