HUNDREDS more North-East chemical workers are facing an uncertain future amid speculation that ICI is to sell the remainder of its UK industrial chemical operations .

The Dulux Paint-to-chemicals group, has been undergoing a massive restructuring operation since 1997, moving itself from being a high-volume bulk chemicals business to a speciality products and paint business.

The shift has seen ICI sell off large chunks of its non-core businesses around the world. The chemical giant which once employed 20,000 people on Teesside now has a North-East workforce of only 2,000.

And that could be cut still further if the company announces a plan to dispose of its halochemicals division, at Wilton, near Redcar later this week.

There was increasing speculation last night that ICI may announce the disposals when it unveils a third quarter trading update on Thursday.

The plan would see ICI sell off a parcel of businesses to a privately-owned chemicals group, called Ineos, in a deal estimated to be worth £300m.

As well as the Wilton operation, the deal would also include ICI's Klea CFC replacement business and silica additives group Crosfield.

ICI's halochemicals division is a major western European producer of caustic soda, chlorine, chlorine derivatives and sulphuric acid. It is also a global producer of plasticisers and refrigerants.

The sale would be the last major UK disposal within its restructuring programme.

In the past few years alone, the world famous chemicals group has sold off companies on Teesside that employed more than 2,500 people. Most recently 1,400 of its Teesside workers transferred to the US Huntsman Group.

If the deal goes through it would leave ICI with only three businesses on Teesside - Methanol and Synetix at Billingham and Uniqema at Wilton. They are not affected by the sales.

Should the sale go through it is not expected to mean any job cuts. A spokesman for ICI said the company was "neither able to confirm or deny" reports of the sale