WORKERS at a Weardale cement factory are waiting to see what the latest twist of an on-off takeover battle will mean to them.
Yesterday, it emerged that cement group Blue Circle, which has a factory in Eastgate, near Stanhope, County Durham, is back in talks with French building materials group Lafarge, which failed in a hostile takeover bid last year.
Blue Circle managed to fend off the Lafarge move, but now the French has returned with an offer Blue Circle might not be able to refuse - 495p a share, almost 13 per cent higher than the previous offer.
Last night is was uncertain what a takeover would mean for jobs at the Weardale works.
The factory is already trying to shed almost a sixth of its manufacturing jobs over the next two years, after reviewing its operations.
A spokesman for the company said the discussion with Lafarge might lead to an offer being made for the whole of Blue Circle, but added: "It is far too early to say what the impact will be locally, but as the situation develops we will let people know."
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