A FACTORY which employs disabled workers is being "closed by the back door" eight months after it was "saved", according to a local councillor.

Staff numbers at the Remploy Factory at Alder Hills have more than halved since November, and the 20 people who have not taken voluntary redundancy have only had three weeks' work in the last three months.

Their sewing machines, previously used to make life jackets and marine textiles, were removed to a Remploy site in Scotland in March, and the work went with it.

Since then they have only had one contract - stuffing bags with refuse sacks for a local council. The rest of the time they have been forced to sit idle day after day.

Cllr Mike Plummer said: "These people are being forced out of their jobs. They want to work but they are being thrown on the scrap heap of life. I'm absolutely livid."

He added: "It is simply closing it down by the back door. Come Christmas I believe they'll force it to close because it's not paying for itself. Two years ago it had a turn over of £1m. Now it's nothing."

Factory worker Lorain Sheen said: "Hopefully the managers will be able to find more work for us otherwise the factory won't be able to survive. It's very difficult with nothing to show people what we can do."

Last year the Alder Hills factory was one of 43 Remploy sites threatened with closure in a multi-million pound loss-cutting proposal, but in November it was among 15 saved following a massive campaign.

A spokesman for Remploy said the Poole site had been retained with a view boosting business by supplying local authorities in the South West.

She added: "To be successful, the factory will need to show satisfactory progress in moving toward an acceptable loss per disabled employee. A voluntary redundancy programme was introduced to reduce the factory's costs."

She said the company was pursuing local and national leads' which could bring in work, and the factory would be appropriately equipped to meet the contracts received.

She added: "We have had a small amount of work in the factory recently. However it is essential that we secure more public sector work to keep the site busy."

Remploy has committed to avoiding any involuntary redundancies for disabled workers.