The proposed closure, which was announced by the firm this morning, will lead to the loss of 420 jobs.

Tony Burke, Amicus assistant general secretary, said: "This is a body blow to our membership and their families and to the magazine and catalogue printing industry. Our members are angry and bitter at this proposal.

"Our first priority will be to consult with our union reps as soon as possible... Once we have consulted with our reps we will be seeking urgent meetings with the company."

Polestar said that it was exploring opportunities to transfer staff from Purnell to other sites in the group, but it is unclear how many jobs could be saved.

"We don't know that at the moment," said Alan Fraser, the plant's managing director.

A 90-day consultation period will begin on Monday (13 June), but plans are already in place to decommission the first of Purnell's five presses by October.

Fraser said that the remaining four presses would be decommissioned in the New Year, and that the plant would probably close by the end of March 2006.

A programme of downsizing the plant's bindery began in April. "This has not affected staffing. We are focussing on small number of machines, and what Purnell does best in the bindery. We will reduce our presence in mailing," said Fraser.

From October to December the plant will run five stitching machines, with capacity reduced "in line with printing capacity" in the New Year, according to Fraser.

Clients currently served by Purnell include Guardian Newspapers, IPC Media, Argos and Trinity Mirror. Fraser said that the work would be "absorbed into Polestar's other operating sites". He insisted that there will be no wholesale shift of the plant's workload to the group's new Sheffield superplant.

Polestar's decision to close the site, which was losing more than 6m per year, comes at the end of more than a year of uncertainty over its future.

The plant was saved from closure last April when staff voted in favour of a survival plan which included around 100 redundancies and the decommissioning of a 2.2m-wide press.

Fraser said: "That survival plan was revised at the end of December, with the full backing of the union and staff. We believe we've given it our best shot, but the market has moved away from Purnell."

He added: "I've got a big plant here with a fantastic workforce and all my attentions are focused on that."

The closure is also the latest twist in the ongoing consolidation of UK and European gravure and web offset printing.

It follows the recent closure of a web-offset plant at Quebecor World in Corby, which printed supplements for Associated Newspapers, with the loss of 380 jobs. St Ives Caerphilly is also due to close in July, with the loss of 210 jobs.

Meanwhile, gravure superpower Prinovis has recently been formed from the merger of German gravure giants Axel Springer, Arvato and Gruner+Jahr, putting ever-greater pressure on pricing.

Story by Josh Brooks