ONE of the area’s top construction firms is poised to slash its workforce by around a quarter.

The Bourne Group, based in Poole, has told its 250 employees up to 60 of them will lose their jobs in the coming weeks.

Staff at all of the group’s subsidiaries, including Bourne Steel and Bourne Engineering, are under threat.

Despite reporting record sales of £63m last year, the firm said the forecast for the construction sector in 2011 and beyond was bleak.

Steve Govier, chief executive of Bourne Construction Engineering, said he “deeply regretted” the cuts.

“These measures are being taken to ensure the ongoing stability and success of the business, and to ensure we have a solid platform from which the business can grow as demand returns to the economy,” added Mr Govier.

Chat from employees on social networking sites yesterday talked of the company’s “unfair and underhand” approach.

One message posted on Twitter read: “Top boys all still on well over 100k+ and dividends, car allowances etc. Not a good day for employment in Poole.”

Staff were notified of the proposed cuts in writing last Friday and a consultation process has begun.

The Bourne Group website boasts of its involvement with projects such as the Brighton Dome and Wembley Arena.

Only last year, it clinched a £4.9m project with the Ministry of Defence and a £2.5m contract to construct a waste disposal facility on Jersey.

Mr Govier said projects like those did not impact on the business’s long term view and things moved on “very quickly” in the construction industry.

He stressed the group remained “financially strong and profitable”, and that restructuring the firm was crucial to its future.