ONE of East Lancashire's last remaining textiles firms is to ship the bulk of its work to Egypt - making 125 people redundant.

Bosses at Hilden Manufacturing said they had no choice but to send their weaving, bleaching and dyeing operations overseas.

They claim it costs the same to employ one person in UK as it does to pay 20 in Egypt.

As a result, Britannia Mill, Didsbury Street, Blackburn, will close in December 2005 while Woodnook Mill, Accrington, will partially close by April 2005. The company's sales, design and administration base at Clifton Mill, Oswaldtwistle, and its hemming, making-up, warehouse and distribution operation at Woodnook Mill will remain in place.

Directors at the company -- which also runs Oswaldtwistle Mills, the tourist attraction it created when market forces led to the closure of Moscow Mill -- said Britannia Mill, due to close in December next year, would be turned into the company's new headquarters.

Space created at Woodnook Mill and Clifton Mill would be developed into new business accommodation, said chairman Peter Hargreaves.

Mr Hargreaves said: "For cost reasons it is no longer viable to manufacture in the UK. Hilden is one of the last survivors in an industry which has all but disappeared and the restructuring will allow the company to remain competitive in the market place."

"We have had to continually downsize our manufacturing base. Three Brooks Mills was closed in 2002, and Moscow Mill was converted from Weaving to the Oswaldtwistle Mills complex in 1991, which created 228 jobs.

"The cost of employing one person in manufacturing in the UK is equal to employing 20 in Egypt, where they have minimal energy and environmental costs."

The company is best known for its damask tablecloths, which are used by major airlines, top restaurants and hospitals and nursing homes across the world. It also produces window blinds and furnishing fabrics.

Coun Andy Kay, in charge of regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "This is very disappointing news but is part of a trend which has seen manufacturing move abroad."

A 30-day consultation period has now begun and unions will meet with management.

Paddy Gallagher, 62, an overlooker at Britannia Mill for the past 40 years, said he feared he would not be able to find other work for his skills.

Mr Gallagher, of Garden Street, Oswaldtwistle said: "Thankfully all of my family are grown up and married so I have no one to support but a lot do and it must be very upsetting. We didn't expect this at all and it was so shocking."

Janine Lewis, 44, of Dudley Avenue, Oswaldtwistle, added: "I have been very upset today we just couldn't believe it. I mean we had heard rumours that bits of it might be closing but we never thought to this extent."

David Fairclough, 60, of Branch Road, Lower Darwen, has been with the firm for 40 years as a loom overlooker said: "I will miss the job I have done for my whole life. It's just the way industry is going unfortunately. It's so much cheaper to do it overseas and that is what they are all doing."

And weaver Veronica Whalley, 58, of Rudyard Drive, Darwen, said: "There are no other mills around here and people will have to travel if they want to keep to their trade."