THE Fylde has been hit with another jobs blow, as insurance giant AXA announced plans to move 80 jobs from Lytham to India.

The firm says it will make 'every effort' to minimise the need for redundancies as the jobs in the financial operations unit disappear over the next 12 months.

The company says the decision is part of a drive to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Philip Maso, group finance director for AXA Uk, said: "We very much regret the impact that today's announcement will have on the people affected.

"We have invested a lot of time to ensure this decisions was made on an informed basis, and only after thorough research and consultation.

"We plan to minimise the need for redundancies through retraining, relocation, redeployment and natural attrition.

"We are consulting with the employees affected by this difficult decision to ensure that they receive as much support as possible.

"Outplacement services will be provided to help equip those who cannot be redeployed in the business with the key skills necessary to secure alternative employment as quickly as possible."

A further 80 employees will remain in Lytham, working on a range of financial processes and supporting the work being moved to India.

The Lytham site also employs a further 290 personnel in areas such as human resources, IT and internal auditing.

A spokesman added: "AXA remains committed to its base at Lytham."

The news comes just weeks after another leading Fylde employer, BAe Systems, announced that it would cut around 1,000 posts at its Warton site.