WORKERS at a dozen of the region’s Woolworths stores will be among the first of thousands of people at the high street chain to lose their jobs, it was revealed last night.

Twelve stores – from 206 nationally – will close by Saturday, December 27, administrator Deloitte said, as it sounded the death knell for the struggling firm.

These were revealed as Barnard Castle, Chester-le- Street, Consett, Darlington, Durham, Hartlepool, Gateshead MetroCentre, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Northallerton, South Shields, and Whitby.

Woolworths is thought to employ 2,500 to 3,000 people in the region.

Deloitte said 200 more stores would close on December 30, 200 on January 2, with the remaining 200 closing by January. Details about those were not yet available.

Last night, attention turned to who would take over some of the sites, most of which are in prime town centre locations.

Deloitte said it has received offers for 300 unnamed stores – with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Iceland among retailers thought to have expressed interest in the group’s outlets, many of which have planning permission to sell food.

Darlington town centre manager Christine Kavanagh said the closure of its store in the Cornmill Centre was devastating.

She said: “I hope the site can be taken up by somebody as quickly as possible, although everybody is struggling at the moment in this economic climate.

“It is devastating for Darlington that Woolworths is closing down, as every other town where a Woolworths has been part of the shopping mix for many years will also feel.”

Mrs Kavanagh said she would not want a supermarket chain to take over the site.

She said: “We would like to see a high-quality national chain come in there, given the size of the premises.”

Deloitte said the moves would affect 22,000 permanent staff and 5,000 temporary workers across the UK.

Shopworkers’ union Usdaw said it was appalled at the news, with a spokesman saying staff at stores would be asked to work up to three days after the closures to clear up.

In Durham City, there was a steady stream of shoppers snapping up remaining bargains, as news of the store’s closure filtered through.

Roy Gazzard, 85, from Durham, said: “It is very disappointing that it is closing.”

Grandmother Shirley Peel, who was in the store in Northallerton High Street, said: “It will be very sad to see it go. I have grown up with Woolies.”

Ron Wright, from Ferryhill, who was shopping at Darlington’s Woolworths store, said: “It is a shame, but I do not think they have kept pace with Wilkinson’s and the other stores.”