ONE of the country's leading soft drinks manufacturers has praised the performance of its Atherton factory despite having made the decision to close it in less than two months with the loss of 110 jobs.

In March last year, Glasgow-based Irn-Bru maker AG Barr said it was to close its production facility in North Road in a restructure that would see £6.5 million invested in its production sites in Mansfield and a new factory in Cumbernauld, near Glasgow.

At the time, the company said investment in both England sites was impossible and the Mansfield base was more suitable for expansion as the company had already outgrown the Atherton site.

AG Barr's chief executive Roger White, announcing its preliminary results for the year to January 24, 2007, said: "This investment is now well on the way to completion.

"The can line is currently being commissioned and the Atherton site is planned to close in May.

"The Atherton operation has, over the past year, performed at extremely high levels of overall efficiency reflecting the commitment and skills of the Atherton team, which will be missed in the future."

Graham Williams, of the Transport and General Workers' Union, which represents staff at the site, said: "It is an extremely sad day for the employees of Barr at the Atherton site.

"The comments from the chief executive would be welcomed at any other time. However, they will leave a bitter taste to the employees who find themselves without a job. I hope the company does not live to regret this decision."

The company said that profit for the period increased by 6.7 per cent to £19.1 million, from £17.9 million in 2006, while turnover increased by 10.2 per cent to £141.9 million from the 2006 total of £128.8 million.

It added that the closure costs at Atherton were £2.7 million.