WORKERS in Bolton were told today that they will lose their jobs unless they move to the Midlands after electricity generator Powergen announced plans to shake up the TXU business it bought last month. In Bolton, 24 jobs will be axed as part of 1,000 being cut across the country. Powergen officials today confirmed that their operations site in Manchester Road, Burnden would close within 12 months.

Workers are to be given the opportunity to relocate to major retail sites at TXU's main headquarters in Nottinghamshire or take early retirement.

But a spokesman said compulsory redundancies "could not be ruled out."

He added: "It is not quite as simple as saying there will be 24 job cuts in Bolton. There is the potential, if people want to, to relocate but that is up to them."

Job losses and the site closure are due to be phased in over the next 12 months.

Powergen is aiming to reduce staff numbers at its Suffolk site in Ipswich from 936 to 250 -- placing 686 jobs at risk.

Two other TXU retail operation plants in Rayleigh, Essex and London are to close, affecting 275 employees.

Bolton's town centre site in Manchester Road also includes a large call centre -- run by United Utilities. Powergen today said that the centre would not be affected.

Powergen said it planned to consolidate the TXU business on sites in the East Midlands -- where it already had a major presence -- and in Ipswich, at a location yet to be decided.

A spokesman for Powergen said: "There are other jobs available but it is a question of whether people want to relocate to the East Midlands, or what staff's preferences are.

"If people want to take early retirement or voluntary redundancies we certainly won't stand in their way.

"But we obviously can't rule out compulsory redundancies."

TXU Energi supply gas and electricity to homes. They are part of Powergen and together they have more than eight million customers.