FURY erupted last night in a village threatened with unemployment as multinational conglomerate Lafarge announced sales figures of more than £8bn.

The news came hours after the company said its Blue Circle cement plant in County Durham was to close, with the loss of 147 jobs.

Last night, parent company Lafarge announced that its worldwide sales had risen by 12 per cent in the last year to almost 13.7bn euros, about £8.4bn.

The company's Blue Circle division accounted for 1.55bn euros of that sales figure, just under £1bn.

Independent county councillor John Shuttleworth has written to Lafarge, urging it to reconsider its decision in the light of the profits being made.

He said: "I would accept the closure if Lafarge said they were making a loss, but they aren't - far from it."

The decision to close the plant was made because the site's isolation made it more cost effective to supply customers from other factories.

Blue Circle Cement's operations director Rob Davies said: "It was a difficult decision, but whilst the plant has been successful in the past, the market is changing and we have made the tough decision that there is no viable future for the works," he said.

Yesterday, talks were taking place between union leaders and Blue Circle, to discuss how the workforce could be relocated and the site's future.

Further talks are to take place today, when the chairman of One NorthEast will meet with senior representatives of Wear Valley District Council and Durham County Council to look at long term options for Weardale. North-West Durham MP and Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong is also due to visit the site.