THERE was gloom in Ramsbury on Tuesday November 14 when the 50 employees of medical supplies company MSB Ltd, the village's biggest single employer, were told they will be out of work by Christmas unless they are prepared to work in Gloucestershire.

MSB was set up 16 years ago in Ramsbury by Cliff Andrews.

It makes the adhesive pads used for electro-cardiograph tests and other medical purposes.

Now it has been sold to the Danish industrial giant Maersk.

Maersk Medical Ltd which is based at Stonehouse in Gloucestershire, will be taking on the production and marketing currently carried out at the Hilldrop Lane factory and offices in Ramsbury, which are to close.

Employees were told on Tuesday that some will be offered secondment to the Maersk factory in the New Year.

Letters from Maersk to each employee said: "Any employee proposing to accept secondment will receive free transport."

Mr Andrews, who runs another medical supplies company called Firstwater Ltd in Leamington Spa, and who has a research department at Warwick University failed to respond to calls from the Gazette asking for details of why he sold the Ramsbury company.

However Lars Ronn, the general manager for Maersk electrodes unit said: "On October 17 Maersk Medical Ltd acquired the shares in MSB Ltd.

"Maersk Medical already has an electrode business with manufacturing facilities located in Stonehouse, and the acquisition of MSB is motivated by Maersk Medical's strategy to grow its business within that area."

Mr Ronn said that after a month studying the operation at Ramsbury, Maersk had decided to move its activities to Stonehouse.

"Jobs will be offered at Stonehouse, but redundancies would be a possible consequence of moving the activities.

"As to this regard the company will respect all legal obligations, including statutory redundancy payments, and is preparing an enhanced financial package to those who might become redundant."

The closure of the factory will come as a major blow, not only to Ramsbury but to many of the villages nearby where the workers come from.

Kennet District Council chairman Susan Findlay, who represents Ramsbury, said: "This is a terrible blow for the village.

"This news will be pretty grim for a lot of families and I just hope that another employer can be found to move into the buildings."

Ramsbury Parish Council chairman Sheila Glass said: "We think it is very unfortunate and we are looking to encouraging as many smaller employers as possible to re-locate here because we take the view that a lot of little businesses are better than one big company."