Union bosses representing HP Sauce workers criticised Heinz, claiming the company's promises were "as worthless as empty sauce bottles".

The Transport and General Workers Union, who represent 120 of the 125 workers based at the Aston site, is due to meet with the company's directors today.

They are expected to demand an explanation for its decision to move production from Birmingham to Elst in Holland.

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John Jordan, the union's food industry leader, said: "The workers at HP Sauce in Birmingham are very bitter at this decision by Heinz.

"For the sake of our members I do not think we will take this lying down. If you look at the history, Heinz only bought the business last August.

"The savage decision to close the Birmingham plant comes just weeks after the Competition Commission cleared the takeover of HP production by Heinz from the French company Danone, which had run it since the early 1990s.

"When Heinz took over the HP Sauce plant last year they promised there would be no shift in production.

"Now we see that Heinz promises are as worthless as an empty sauce bottle.

"It seems to me that the only reason that Heinz bought HP was to get the brand and the other thing is that it is a product that has the Houses of Parliament on it but it is going to Holland."

Nigel Dickie, a Heinz spokesman, said the announcement had been met with "disappointment and sadness", which the company shared.

"What we have announced to all of our employees is a proposal to close the Aston site here and move HP Sauce to a European sauce centre in Holland," he said.

"The bottling of Lea & Perrins will return to Worcester.

"Here in Aston the normal working week is three days and it is not commercially viable. It closes in March next year," he said.