It has been confirmed that more than 200 staff at a century-old manufacturing plant are to lose their jobs, many before the New Year.

Aliaxis, the Belgium-based owner of Marley Plumbing and Drainage warned staff at its factory in Dickley Road, Lenham, in June that the plant could be closing.

The company began a three-month redundancy consultation process with staff, who were told they would receive a final decision on September 6.

That decision has now been announced and workers have been told that production will cease on December 31.

The company said the redundancies would be staggered, dependent on individual contracts, notice periods and operational demands. The first group of redundancies will come between October and December this year, with the final group expected to be between March and June 2025.

The company said it has been able to place some people in new roles, and as a result had been able “to significantly reduce” the number of redundancies.

An Aliaxis spokesman said: “Following a three-month consultation with its employees, Aliaxis UK has announced plans to cease manufacturing at its Lenham site.

“While the site will remain open for other operational functions, the decision will result in 213 redundancies and the end of production of three product ranges.

“Customers have been informed that manufacturing of the Marley, Hunter and Quantum PVC product ranges will cease at the end of 2024.

“The employees who are directly affected by this decision have been notified and redundancies will be staggered, in order to wind down production and facilitate final deliveries of ceased product ranges over the next six months.

“An extensive network of mental health first aiders have supported the employees based at the Lenham site during the consultation process.

“The company will also offer a series of vocational workshops, including CV writing and interview skills, and has allocated time for affected employees to search for their new roles during working hours.

Gareth Dunn, the commercial director at Aliaxis UK, said: “Sadly, we have made the difficult decision to cease manufacturing at our site in Lenham.

We remain committed to the UK

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and our priority is to support both our employees and customers who are directly affected.

“We remain committed to the UK market, with plans for further investment in our product ranges across all of our core segments, in response to customer demand.”

John Britt is the chairman of Lenham Parish Council. He said: “Marley had long historic links with the village and was once a major employer here.

“There are still local people who work for the company, and our hearts go out to them at this very sad news.”

The company began life as the Marley Tile Company, founded by Owen Aisher at Lenham in 1924, although the original business has long been subdivided and sold to different interests.

Sharing the site in Lenham with Aliaxis is Tarkett - which was formerly known as Marley Floors.

Tarkett is unaffected by the redundancy notices, although it is understood that the company leases its site from Aliaxis, who are the freeholders.

Aliaxis UK has owned Marley Plumbing and Drainage for the past 20 years.

The company made plastic piping installations.

On its website, Aliaxis boasts of having a turnover in excess of 3billion Euros.