THIS week marked the start of a fight to bring new jobs to the town of Spennymoor after it was left reeling by the news of mass job losses at Black and Decker.

Shocked workers arrived at the factory on Thursday morning last week to be told that 550 full time and 400 agency staff would lose their jobs by the end of 2003.

The news has left the community of Spennymoor and the surrounding area shattered.

Shortly after the announcement Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster and council leaders at Sedgefield Borough Council and Durham County Council, met with representatives of One NorthEast and Job Centre Plus to implement a financial package set to try and save what jobs were left at the factory.

The package, which is understood to comprise more than £1million, will be used to buy back one of the two production facilities at the Black and Decker plant. This in turn will be made into an enterprise area for small businesses.

After the meeting on Thursday afternoon Derek Foster MP said that the partnership had been in talks with the manufacturing company for three months.

He said: "If we had not stepped in we could have been looking at Black and Decker announcing the closure of its Spennymoor site.

"As it is we have managed to save 450 jobs.''

Mr Foster said that he had already had calls from Government ministers Nick Brown of the Department of Work and Pensions and Alan Johnson at the Department of Trade and Industry, pledging their support.

He said: "They have promised all the help that the Government can give to be put at our disposal.''

Shocked workers filed out of the factory shortly after hearing the news that many were expecting to hear.

Lynn Heslington, 29, from Spennymoor, works on the assembly line for Black and Decker's DeWalt products. She said: "It is a big shock. We were expecting something but not this.

"It is not just us but other companies that actually deal with Black and Decker will be affected.''

Outside the gates leaders of Sedgefield Borough Council waited to speak with workers and pledge their support.

Bill Waters, Cabinet member for regeneration, said that County Durham needed a major cash investment from the Government to help the region get over the crisis.

He said: "We have got to do what we can to help the people who have lost their jobs."