DROITWICH MP Peter Luff has accused the Government of "declaring war" on Droitwich amid rumours that the town's Customs and Excise office is to close this year.

More than 100 jobs will be affected by the closure, which officials have confirmed will be taking place towards the end of the year.

It follows the closure of the Army Medal Office, which runs from the same building in Worcester Road and the sale of the site by the Ministry of Defence.

"It seems the Government has declared war on Droitwich," said Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff.

"First, it was the Army Medal Office and now it's the VAT office.

"This all looks to be part of a plan to get a windfall from selling the site on the Worcester Road for housing.

"The town and the people who work for both the medal and VAT offices count for nothing. It's all very sad."

The Customs and Excise office employs about 130 people, many of whom joined staff all over the country in a one day strike against Government cuts in November.

A spokesman for Customs and Excise confirmed the Worcester Road office would be closing but said that jobs would either be transferred to other offices or another office set up in the town.

"It is a case of the landlord telling us we have to move out of this particular site," said Mark Powell. "But there are no job losses planned."

Mr Luff has now written to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Healey, to clarify the position.

In his letter, he said: "I understand that the office at Droitwich relies heavily on a local pool of labour, but that the work done at this office will now be transferred to Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

"Many of those civil servants affected will, I imagine, be unable to make the new journeys and will effectively be made redundant as a result of your decision.

"I would be grateful for urgent clarification about the plans you have for the Customs and Excise office in Droitwich Spa."

Jobs from the medal office are being transferred to RAF Innsworth in Gloucestershire.