Wakefield Speedibake blaze site 'too costly to rebuild'

Firefighters worked for hours to extinguish a blaze which started at the industrial bakery

The jobs of 160 people are at risk after the owners of an industrial bakery which was destroyed in a fire said it would close.

The blaze at the Speedibake factory, close to Westgate Retail Park in Wakefield, ripped through the building on 1 February.

Thick black smoke covered parts of the city during the fire and the buildings were destroyed.

Speedibake said there could be work for some employees at a site in Bradford.

At its height, more than 140 firefighters tackled the blaze, with people evacuated from nearby buildings.

The Speedibake factory site is near Wakefield's Westgate Retail Park

In a statement, the company said: "We are sorry to announce that we have put forward proposals that the site should close.

"Speedibake has operated from Wakefield since 1988, and we have carefully explored a number of options to try and keep the site open.

"However, the fire completely destroyed two buildings, and those that remained suffered significant structural damage."

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It said the "financial cost and time needed to undertake a full rebuild is simply too great to make it a viable option".

"However, we are now in a consultation period with our employees and remain open to alternative proposals," it added.

Thick black smoke covered much of the area during the blaze

Following the fire, the company committed to paying its staff for a period of at least three months while the damage was assessed.

The statement added: "Our Bradford bakery remains fully operational and due to one complete production line being transferred there we will be able to offer a number of roles to affected employees."

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union representatives involved with the company have been contacted for a comment.