Ford dealership Dovercourt today confirmed it was cutting 40 jobs.

Hardest hit at nine sites are van drivers, administrative and accounts staff. The firm said the redundancies followed a reorganisation of the company including the parts business, but no further job losses are planned.

Most jobs are going at the Colchester site in Barrack Street where 19 staff face redundancy.

Four are going at Magdalen Street and Ipswich Road in Colchester, ten in Chelmsford at Rainsford Road and Robjohns Road, one each at Witham, Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers, and two at Clacton.

Chris Hayden, director of the Dovercourt Motor Company - a subsidiary of the Dutton-Foreshaw Group - said: "We deeply regret making people redundant and have taken every possible step to keep the number of people affected by this reorganisation to the absolute minimum."

The job losses at Barrack Street, Colchester are due to a consolidation of the parts department, and centralisation of the warranty department across the group.

Last year Dovercourt took over various Ford dealerships across north and mid Essex and employs 550 people.

These included Candors in Colchester, Dovercourt and Braintree, Hartwells in Chelmsford, Westwood and Clark in Clacton and Does Motors in Maldon and Witham.

A Dovercourt spokeswoman said: "It is a question now of rationalisation simply because the firm is having to look at these properties and bring them together as one working machine.

"It is to improve the standard of service to customers, and ensuring Dovercourt are not competing against themselves."

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