A DEWSBURY business will cut its workforce by almost half as the downturn in the housing market takes its toll.
Ian Firth Hardware Limited, which distributes doors and hardware products to the building trade, said it was facing the toughest trading conditions in its 26 year history.

The firm, based in Shaw Cross Business Park, has announced plans to make 40 of its 98 employees redundant.

It follows an earlier round of redundancies which saw 19 jobs go.

Managing director Ian Firth said the business relied heavily on sales to the new homes market.

He said: "The action was taken extremely reluctantly but the company had no other options to it bearing in mind the severity of the downturn in business.

"These are the hardest trading conditions experienced by the company in its 26 year history and there are no indications yet of when some form of normality may return."