Borders glass firm faces closure

Selkirk Glass has met the same fate as Edinburgh Crystal

A Borders glass company has gone into administration, placing a question mark over the future of 34 jobs.

Administrator Deloitte is reviewing the financial situation at Selkirk Glass to see if the company can keep trading while a buyer is sought.

Its parent company Edinburgh Crystal and sister firm Caithness Glass have already gone into administration.

Local politicians, who held talks over the firm's future only days ago, have expressed shock at the move.

"This is extremely bad news, first and foremost for the staff who have worked very hard at Selkirk Glass to make it the well-respected company that it is," said Lib Dem MSP Jeremy Purvis.

We are reviewing the financial position of the company to determine if it can continue to trade in the short-term while a buyer is sought Deloitte spokesman

He said he had been hopeful that the company could have survived this "period of uncertainty".

"I have been saying that there have been unacceptable question marks hanging over the Selkirk company.

"I have been informed that yesterday afternoon the directors of Edinburgh Crystal put Selkirk Glass into administration and the administrators had made the decision last night to close it.

"The reasons I have been given have been poor retail sales and the catering, that has been excellent there, has not been making money."

Taskforce sought

Mr Purvis said staff had told him part of the problem was a lack of investment by their parent company.

He said he had been in contact with Scottish Enterprise Borders and Scottish Borders Council to create a taskforce to deal with the situation.

A spokesman for Deloitte confirmed it had been called in as administrators.

"We are reviewing the financial position of the company to determine if it can continue to trade in the short-term while a buyer is sought," he said.