WORKERS at a Warrington distribution depot say they are not shocked after news that 95 jobs were to be axed.

Safeway will shed 65 jobs in April and a further 30 will be cut during the summer from its Woolston Grange base, but many of the workforce say they were expecting bad news.

One of the company's 700 employees leaving the site on Tuesday said: "It doesn't come as a surprise at all. Things have appeared to be very slow around here so the news that jobs are to go isn't really a shock.

A colleague added: "It's been expected, so no-one here is surprised."

Drivers returning to the depot hadn't even heard the decision until the broke it to them.

One driver said: "I've just got back in and we'll have to see what's going to happen. At the moment I don't know any details about the redundancies."

The company has blamed the job losses on inefficiencies at the depot and the increasing competitiveness in the supermarket industry.

Spokeswoman Emma Mason said: "This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, but we have to be competitive to make sure people continue to shop at Safeway.

"We are working with the unions to improve efficiency. We have been in Warrington a long time and we want to stay here," she said.

Management were locked in meetings with union officials to work out where the cuts are to be made, although bosses hope that the majority of jobs will go through voluntary redundancies.

A number of the depot's operations will now be transferred to the company's other depots in the north west and midlands.

The news is the latest in a line of job losses announced in the town this year. ICI have cut 120 jobs at it's Crosfield's plant while at least 30 will be shed at Greenall's headquarters.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.