Employees left the £10 million Samsung plant near Knaresborough for the last time with mingled sadness and relief.

Some were facing life on the dole as they collected their redundancy cheque on the factory's last day yesterday.

But most of the 86 staff had found work and were looking forward to a new start.

All were relieved that the months of uncertainty over the future of the "close-knit community" at Flaxby Moor were finally over.

As they left, the factory's managing director Seong-Ho Hwang praised them for their work over the three years since the Korean company took over the former Octavius Atkinson site and started making mechanical diggers there.

Andy Meek, of Tang Hall, was among many former ABB employees who joined the Korean company after the York-based carriagemakers closed. He is now returning to his old workplace, this time with Thrall Europa.

"I think it is sad," he said of the Samsung closure. "But we've got our cheques, I've found another job and I've got money in my pocket."

Martyn Rush, also of York, said of the mood in the factory: "The main thing is relief it is all over. We have waited for it and now it has happened. Most of the lads have got work, but some of us have not."

One of those without a job to go to, Steve Hawkins, of Northallerton, said: "It was a very close community. We were like a little family, but we were expecting the closure. We knew it was going to happen."

All employees were united in saying it was not local management's fault the factory had closed.

Some administrative staff were expected to remain at the factory for a short time to come, but the bulk of the employees left yesterday.

"It is very sad," said Mr Hwang. "The majority are local employees. They have done a very good job and I appreciate it. It was very happy here."

The Korean multi-national Samsung announced the closure last year after the factory was hit by a shortage of parts from Korea and the strong pound which made it difficult to sell its diggers in Europe.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.