JOBS are on the line, it is feared, after a historic ceramic tile manufacturer in Poole went into administration.

Pilkington’s Group Plc, the 119-year-old British tile manufacturer, employs 380 staff and operates a factory shop at Blandford Road, as well as a quarry in Poole.

The quarry produces up to 350,000 tons of heavy clay used to make vitrified – glass-like – floor tiles.

Forty-five staff are employed by the firm in Poole and last year it invested tens of thousands of pounds at its Poole factory for the launch of its Dorset Quarry Tile. There have been no immediate staff redundancies while the administrators assess the position of the company.

Pilkington’s tiles are used in schools, airports and hospitals as well as homes and are supplied to householders as well as to builders, DIY chains, builders’ merchants and architects and are exported. Its brands include Pilkington’s and Quiligotti Terrazzo.

“Pilkington’s Group has suffered intense cash flow pressures as a result of recent adverse trading conditions,” said Paul Flint, joint administrator and associate partner at KPMG Restructuring.

“Indeed, it’s no coincidence that the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor indicated that furniture and floor coverings were the worst-performing sectors within retail, highlighting the reluctance of consumers to commit to big-ticket purchases while uncertainty over the future looms.”

He added: “We intend to trade the Pilkington’s Group business while we seek a purchaser for the company and its assets, and would encourage any interested parties to contact us as soon as possible.”

Pilkington’s headquarters is in Swinton, Greater Manchester and it has a showroom and factory shop in Tameside as well as a facility in Dublin.