The American-owned company Fruit of the Loom confirmed yesterday that it was to close its plant at Templemore in Derry next March, with the loss of 150 jobs. Last week, SIPTU officials claimed that the company had sold its Templemore plant to pay for redundancies at its factory at Buncrana in Co Donegal, which is in the process of a gradual closure. The announcement that Fruit of the Loom was to close its sewing plant in Derry follows last week's closure of the Ben Sherman shirt factory in Derry with a loss of 80 jobs.

At the end of September, Fruit of the Loom announced that 300 jobs were to go at its Buncrana plant in the coming months.

Yesterday's announcement by the US-owned leisurewear company means that over 4,000 jobs have been lost in Northern Ireland's textiles industry over the last two years. It also raises fears for the Fruit of the Loom spinning plant at Campsie, on the outskirts of Derry.