THE axe has fallen on the last jobs at a beleaguered Kidderminster wire-making firm.

Stourport Road-based Romwire has finally been closed down by receivers, and the remaining few members of the 216-strong workforce have departed.

William Tacon, of receivers Ernst and Young, said in July 170 of the jobs had been lost and the remainder would go "progressively". beleaguered Romwire in Stourport Road, Kidderminster, where the last few employees departed last week.

Production had been continuing to deal with existing customer orders but operations were finally stopped on Friday.

The wife of one of the last employees to go, who did not want to be identified, said: "It's been going on for so long now my husband is just relieved to know what's happening.

"There was about 15 of them left but they have all gone now. They are skilled workers and there aren't any skilled jobs around."

Mr Tacon had already confirmed the firm was not going to be sold as a going concern, while Wyre Forest Business Forum chairman Steve Hodge said there were no longer enough manufacturing jobs to "soak up" redundancies.

The strength of the pound and the slowdown of the US economy are two of the factors blamed for job losses in the UK manufacturing industry.