A MEAT and poultry manufacturer has confirmed it plans to close its Wrexham plant.

On Tuesday, the Leader reported on claims by Unite the Union that Tyson Foods Limited's Llay factory is to close at the end of the September with the loss of 71 jobs.

The firm has now issued a statement confirming it is consulting with employees at the Llay industrial estate plant about the proposal to discontinue operations on September 30.

A Tyson Foods spokesman said: "Tyson Foods is exploring options including discontinuing the operations or selling the Wrexham facility.

"Putting this proposal forward was a very difficult decision. It was based on a combination of factors including our ability to generate profitable growth and our need to adapt to shifting customer needs.

"We are currently consulting with our team members in Wrexham about the proposal to discontinue operations on September 30, 2020."

The company did not comment on the number of redundancies the move will lead to.

Unite the Union described the news as "devastating" for the workforce and "more bad news" for the economy of north east Wales amid a succession of large scale redundancies in firms across the region.