ENGLAND (From news reports) -- More than 100 jobs have been put at risk after a packaging firm announced plans to axe its Ellesmere Port plant.

Saica Pack has confirmed that its North Road site will shut its doors at the end of 2022, with operations being consolidated at its existing Wigan base.

A total of 106 employees are now at risk of redundancy, although the company said it is trying to relocate as many staff as possible to alternative sites, including one in Deeside.

Saica Pack, which has several sites across the UK, Europe and in the United States specialising in various packaging services, said the decision to close its Ellesmere Port base was made "reluctantly" however it will help ensure the firm's "competitiveness and future growth" in the region.

A spokesperson said: "Demand for corrugated cardboard packaging is rising significantly in the UK due to increased demand for home deliveries and environmentally-friendly packaging.

"In this evolving market, operational efficiency is critical to our ability to compete and stay at the forefront of the industry.

"In order to ensure our competitiveness and future growth in the North West and offer the best possible service to our customers, we are proposing to consolidate our Wigan and Ellesmere Port operations into a single location.

"While the proposed changes will generate significant investment and new jobs in Wigan, reluctantly they would mean our operation at Ellesmere Port would close by the end of 2022, with employees at risk of redundancy.

"While Ellesmere Port has been an important site for many years, unfortunately the buildings and site infrastructure are such that it is not economical to develop them to the level required to be competitive in the long term.

"Where possible, we will of course endeavour to find opportunities to redeploy staff at other sites within the group, such as our Saica Flex site in Deeside where we have recently proposed creating 26 new roles.

"We are currently in a period of consultation with the Union and employee representatives."