The concrete sleeper plant at Tallington, north of Peterborough, is closing with the loss of more than 200 jobs. Tarmac Ltd announced on April 15 that the factory would immediately stop taking on any new work and that a skeleton staff of 70 would be kept on site to finish the remaining contracts. Blair Illingworth, chief executive of Tarmac Building Products, said: "We have explored every option for keeping Tallington open but market conditions and reduced demand for its products mean that it's not economically viable." Local MP Nick Boles said: "The main reason for the closure is Tarmac's loss of a major contract to supply sleepers to Network Rail." NR's greater use of steel sleepers in recent years is thought to have contributed to the demise.
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