TWELVE employees were sacked on the spot at insolvent Williton firm CPack Ltd last Friday.

Most of the staff who were laid-off had been with the company for years, including one worker who started in the early 1960s.

At the moment around 50 jobs are at risk with staff on a knife edge following the appointment of Begbies Traynor as joint administrators of CPack.

Senior manager for the administrators, Gary Lee, said: "Unfortunately we had to let 12 go but it was unfortunate that we are not able to give them the luxury of being able to work out a notice.

"CPack is still trading and we have put an advert in the Financial Times and we have had 30 people respond and we have sent out initial brochures."

Mr Lee said he thought CPack was operating successfully at this point in time and that for the short term the rest of the staff's jobs were safe.

Cpack Ltd prints flexible packaging for the food industry and has outlets in Bristol and Dublin and has a turnover of £13 million.

It was formed in January when Contemporary Printers, on Williton's Roughmoor Estate, and Avonmouth firm Cannings Packaging Ltd merged.