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[Vanda]

FIFTEEN lorry drivers have been made redundant by county hauliers Downton.
The company blamed a seasonal drop-off in the drinks trade - a large part of its business.

But the move by the Moreton Valence firm, was still criticised by one of those to be left out of work.
"It's been handled awfully," said the driver, who asked not to be named.
"I've always found them to be a really professional company but this was really shocking.
"I was called in at 4.30pm, told to go to personnel and 20 minutes later I'd been made redundant.
"There was a company director in there doing it and he hated it."
He added: "I've probably got enough to make it through the next couple of months but in three months I won't be able to pay the mortgage, I'll be bankrupt."
Future
He added: "I've worked hard for them, never had a sick day, never been late.
"The future doesn't look great."
A spokesman for the company, which also has a base at Quedgeley, said they employ 700 drivers nationally and that no more lay-offs were planned in the near future.
He said: "We move a large variety of goods but a proportion of that relates to the drinks industry which is obviously extremely busy pre-Christmas but drops off until the spring.
"We sadly had no alternative."
He stressed that it was a small percentage of their driver workforce and that the company had carried out the redundancy process as professionally as possible.
In March last year, another Gloucester haulage firm, Joseph Rice & Sons, folded with £700,000 of debt after sky-high fuel prices crippled the business.
http://www.thisisglo...tail/story.html