A CAMPAIGN to safeguard hundreds of Lancashire textile jobs has been launched by Euro MP Mark Hendrick.

Employers in the county fear heavy job losses if the European Commission imposes 'anti-dumping' duties on unprocessed cotton fabric imported from Egypt, China, India and Pakistan.

Many local textile firms import the unfinished cotton and turn it into fabrics used for products including curtains and bed linen.

Industry leaders have warned that if extra import duties were imposed prices in the shops would go up, possibly as much as 25 per cent. Demand would fall and jobs would be threatened. "Extra import duties would be bad news for Lancashire workers and consumers," said the Lancashire Central MEP.

"I am aware of the adverse effects on the textile industry in my constituency and the implications for employment in the area."

Mr Hendrick has now written to the EC to urge them not to impose duties and is contacting East Lancashire MPs to enlist their support for the call.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.