Cost of raw materials and collapsing housing market hit Welsh firm with loss of 23 jobs

A firm claiming to be one of the UK’s largest scaffolding manufacturer is to close with the loss of 23 jobs as the housing collapse continues to bite.

A spokeswoman for the owners of Welsh firm Systems Scaffolding, which is based in Bala, Gwynedd, said it had entered a 30-day consultation period with staff and intends to close the site within six months.

General manager, Leigh Oakley, told the BBC the firm, which last year had a turnover of £5m, had been hit by rising costs of raw materials and the collapsing housing market.

He said: "Staff could see the state of the economy, with the building industry laying off people - ultimately that's our core business.

"We have been on a four-day week at the site for some time now, and we made some redundancies in February. Unfortunately, these measures to reduce cost haven't been enough."

The firm is owned by West Midlands-based construction and automotive manufacturing group Caparo.

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