Sugar beet factory is to shut

The Allscott sugar beet factory is set to close for business next week, which will bring to an end its 80-year association with Shropshire agriculture.

The Allscott sugar beet factory is set to close for business next week, which will bring to an end its 80-year association with Shropshire agriculture.Although the giant processing site will reopen for a few days at the end of May for the remaining juice to be extracted from storage tanks, no more beet will pass through the gates from next Friday.

While some farmers have received written notification in the post from British Sugar that the factory will shut down at 4.30pm on Wednesday, the company explained that the definitive time and date is still dependant on beet supplies.

Richard Nicholls, agricultural manager at Allscott, said an exact closure date was difficult to predict because recent wet weather had caused problems.

He explained: "We are still harvesting beet but there is no way we will be hitting contract this year because some has been lost as a result of the wet weather.

"I suspect that Friday or Saturday next week will be the last day for the factory."

Mr Nicholls is moving to become agricultural manager at British Sugar's plant in Bury St Edmunds when Allscott shuts.

The closure signals the end of a long county connection, following British Sugar's arrival at Allscott in 1927. Around 25 of the 117 jobs on site will go by the end of February. The remainder of the staff will be kept on until June, with just a dozen or so remaining afterwards to look after the site.

More than 3,000 jobs have been lost across the region as a result of British Sugar's decision to axe Allscott.

Simon Latter, the NFU's regional chairman, said it was important to look forward.

Halls are holding back-to-back auctions next month of redundant machinery.