A factory that is due to close next year with the loss of 200 jobs so the management can move its work to eastern Europe is currently so busy that temporary staff are being taken on to cope.

Carron Phoenix (www.carron.com), which is owned by the Franke Group, is to close its Falkirk sink-making plant by December 2017 and move operations to Slovakia to reduce costs.

The leader of Falkirk Council, Craig Martin (pictured), says that a taskforce has been set up to explore a “package” that could persuade the firm to re-locate elsewhere in Falkirk.

“The company’s representatives we met with have assured us that they will take our proposals to their board. I believe there hasn’t been a brick laid in Slovakia as yet, and it could take six months for them get the planning permissions they need, so we have that time to find a package that can keep these jobs here.”