Grimsby area processor closes

AT least 50 people are feared to have lost their jobs after the Lincolnshire fish processing company Fishgate closed down over the festive period.
The company is located on a former RAF jet fighter air base at Binbrook, near Grimsby, which has been turned into a trading estate with a large fish processing operation.
The staff received the bombshell as they were preparing to close for the Christmas holiday. They were given the news by a note on the door as they turned up for work; it said further details would be sent by first class post. They were then asked to contact their line managers.
Fishgate is a seafood supplier to the Iceland frozen food retail chain, which has confirmed that the site is no longer producing for them.
Fishgate is thought to have lost more than £200,000 last year. It mainly makes prepared fish meals and dishes. Cash reserves are also thought to have fallen since a year ago.
West Lindsey, the local district council that helps companies set up on the Binbrook trading estate, said it had a team able to offer advice and assistance.
No one from the company was available for comment over the Christmas and New Year period. One of the directors is thought to be Ken Bottomley, who is well known in the seafood business in the Grimsby area and a former director of Young’s and Sealord. He was also unavailable for comment.