WORKERS at one of Ashford's biggest town centre offices were facing up to losing their jobs today as closure plans were announced.

The 170 staff at ferry operators Stena Line, based at Charter House in Park Street, were told the office would be shut down with most of them at risk of redundancy.

Bosses have put the move down to cost efficiency as it concentrates on its Irish Sea route.

Vic Goodwin, route director for the central and southern corridors and human resources director for the Irish Sea, said: "Clearly we are very disappointed that the closure of our Ashford office will result in redundancies, but we will do our very best to assist people to find alternative employment and our redundancy terms are significantly better than statute."

Stena Line arrived in Ashford in 1988, setting up its head office for its services in the Irish and North Seas as well Dover to Calais, Newhaven to Dieppe and Southampton to Cherbourg.

However in the last 16 years, the company has slowly withdrawn from the south coast and focused its operations on the North and Irish Sea routes.