A KIDDERMINSTER carpet manufacturing firm has announced a second round of redundancies in just over a year.

Eighteen workers will lose their jobs with the ending of Victoria Carpets' dyeing operations at its Worcester Road base. They were told of the company's decision, which will cost the business £175,000 in restructuring costs, last Thursday afternoon.

The news followed the axeing of 66 jobs last spring, when Victoria pulled out of Axminster weaving, a move that led, indirectly, to the latest job losses.

Alan Bullock, the firm's group managing director, said the small hank dye house involved now did "very little" of the company's dyeing.

He added: "It was much more active when the company manufactured Axminster carpets.

"We got out of Axminster manufacturing a little over a year ago. Since then, the volume of dyeing going through there has been significantly reduced.

"Despite the fact we have tried to increase the volumes we can put through there by seeking outside work, we're not managing to get the volume increased up to the levels of viability."

Rising energy costs, such as higher gas prices, had also made the section unviable.

He went on: "It's a small part of a much bigger business. It accounts for less than five per cent of the yarn that we handle.

"It's a small thing, in some respects, but a sad thing for the people involved."

Last February, Victoria warned that up to 85 jobs could go with the ending of Axminster manufacture, as it made losses, although that figure was reduced to 66 when the department eventually closed.

Mr Bullock said the dyeing operation could also have been shut then but the company tried to "soldier on" in a bid to get up to breakeven level although it was unable to do so.

"It's not sustainable to carry on, making losses month after month in there," he explained.

"As we no longer make Axminster carpets, we don't have the requirement for it that we had in the past.

"We haven't been able to generate enough through the plant to make it viable.

"You need a certain throughput through the department in order to make it economically viable to do that and we tried for a year," Mr Bullock added.

The workers affected are expected to leave within the next month.