SEVENTY-FIVE jobs are at risk in York following a proposal by Shepherd Building Group to close its Portastor business.

A group spokeswoman said Portastor, based off New Lane, Huntington, had today informed employees of its proposal to close the business, following the completion and delivery of existing customer contracts.

She said the move followed an internal strategic review and an unsuccessful attempt to sell the business, which manufactured solid steel, secure storage units to store plant, equipment, tools or goods.

"The company employs approximately 75 people," she said. "Consultation will begin today with these employees and Shepherd Building Group will be working closely with its workforce in the months ahead."

Shepherd Building Group chairman David Williams said that recent attempts to sell the Portastor business had proved unsuccessful.

"As a consequence, we have taken the difficult decision that a restructuring of Portastor operations is in the best interests of all our stakeholders.

"As a result, we have had to make this difficult decision to consult our workforce on how we might prepare to restructure the business.

"This decision has not been taken lightly and we deeply regret how unsettling today’s announcement will be for our people and their families.”

The spokeswoman added that operations at Portakabin, situated elsewhere on the same site, would be unaffected by the proposal.

She said they would continue from its head office in York, focused on continuing to serve the needs of customers and further developing its product offering.

She said another 'Porta' business, Portasilo, had been closed last year, and Portastor's closure would leave the group with Portakabin alone, which employed about 650 on the York site.