THIRTY jobs have been rescued at Pocklington Concrete Products after receivers sold the firm to Tarmac Heavy Building Materials UK.

Receivers stepped in a month ago when the £5 million turnover firm collapsed because of lack of cashflow.

Since then 44 employees making concrete blocks and pre-cast concrete flooring beams on the 19-acre Pocklington airfield site have left, mostly made redundant, leaving just 30 on the payroll.

The sale, for an undisclosed sum, was today described by receiver Keith Hinds of Robson Rhodes of Leeds as "very satisfying."

He said the firm had been trading under receivership conditions "and we are particularly pleased to have sold the business to such a substantial purchaser.

"The sale should provide further employment prospects in the area as the business is revitalised under the control of Tarmac."

Tarmac, already Britain's leading manufacturer of pre-cast concrete products for the construction and civil engineering industries intends to maintain production at Pocklington, but the work will be integrated within Topblock, the UK's largest manufacturer of concrete blocks and Tarmac's Richard Lees business, which makes concrete floors and stairs.

David Blount, managing director of Tarmac Concrete Products - part of Tarmac Heavy Building Materials - said the acquisition would strengthen the company's geographical spread, filling a gap in the market coverage and complementing the group's existing concrete and aggregate operations.

Brian Blakely, press officer for Tarmac plc said: "It is a bit early to comment on employment prospects, but over the next three weeks we will be reviewing staffing levels there."

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