MORE than 40 people will lose their jobs with the closure of an operation at one of Bolton's oldest mills.

Kruger Tissue Industrial's Bolton arm at the former Charles Turner paper mill is to close its doors next month because it is not making enough money.

Manufacturing union Amicus, which represents 40 workers at the mill, was yesterday in negotiations with the company over the closure.

The mill, at Spring Side Mills in Belmont Road has operated since 1837.

One mill worker, who asked not to be named, said: "One of Bolton's oldest manufacturers is going to close without a whimper. Kruger Tissue Industrial has deemed the site unprofitable. It's yet another manufacturer gone from Bolton forever."

Around 40 jobs were shed in June 2004 as part of cost cutting measures, but some posts were relocated to Kruger sites in North Wales.

The company, which manufactures 30,000 tons of tissue paper annually for UK workplaces, is one of three Kruger manufacturing sites in the UK.

Other sites are in Penygroes, North Wales, and Church Stretton in Shropshire.

Parent company Kruger, based in Montreal, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper and lumber products, including newsprint, tissue and wooden boards.

The Belmont mill started production in 1837, and was taken over by Courtaulds in 1970. In 1983, Charles Turner & Co won a "caring employer" award but the company was hit by a strike the following winter.

A management buyout of Charles Turner & Co took place in 1997 and the company merged with Kruger in May 2003, creating a company with a combined turnover of £40 million and 186 Bolton employees.

Stuart Patterson, mill manager, said: "Regretfully Kruger Tissue Industrial Ltd announced on Friday, May 19 a proposal to cease manufacturing activities at their Springside Mills site in Bolton, due to incurring significant and sustained losses. The company, its employees and union representatives are now in a process of consultation in an attempt to find a solution."