Ron Hemming – Usdaw Area Organiser says: “Staff are devastated by the news that Greencore plan to close the site, which could be as early as April next year. I have met with the company this morning and plan further consultation meetings in the coming weeks. Our priority is to get the best possible deal for the members.

“Evercreech is a small community with Greencore being the main provider of jobs in the area. So this is terrible news for the local community and there will be an inevitable knock-on effect of other businesses in the area. We are aware that Somerset County Council and Mendip District Council are looking at what support they can provide.”

Notes for editors:

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fourth biggest trade union with nearly 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the Union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.

For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion