A BOLTON firm faces a race against time to find a new home or 60 workers will lose their jobs.

After losing a compulsory purchase battle with Bolton Council, Associated Plastics have only until August 31 to move out of Gibraltar Mill to make way for a new school, health centre and housing development.

Managing director Alan Brown says that unless suitable premises are found soon, redundancy notices will have to be issued by the end of May.

The threat of compulsory purchase has been hanging over the firm, a specialist plastics fabricator, since the early 1980s.

Mr Brown said they have been keen to move but whenever suitable premises have been found council funds have not been available to buy the mill.

Now, despite extensive enquiries, no other appropriate buildings are available in Bolton.

"None of us has an argument that this old mill is past its sell-by date," said Mr Brown.

"All we want to do is to move out gracefully to another building and continue our business.

"The council makes noises that that they don't want us to lose jobs but they still issue a notice."

Bolton Council, in conjunction with Wigan and Bolton Health Authority, are pressing ahead with plans to create a one stop health and community facility on the site.

But to use cash from the Single Regeneration Budget, they have to have the scheme completed by March 2000.

Associated Plastics say they have already lost orders, including a potential multi-million pound deal with Hong Kong University, because of uncertainty over their future.

They are now looking outside town for premises to beat the deadline and save the jobs of their worried workforce.

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