MINERALS giant Imerys has announced in the run-up to Christmas that it is going to close its dryer at Par Docks – resulting in job losses.

The company said it has conducted a strategic review of its assets with the result that a decision has been taken to close the facility at the docks.

An Imerys spokesperson said: “We have taken the decision to close the dryer at Par Docks. The site will remain operational overall, but the drying element will move to other sites.

“This, and changes to our refining sites, means we are planning to make a small number of redundancies overall.

“We are working with union representatives to consult on this process and we are hopeful of finding volunteers.”