More than 100 staff are to join the dole queue just three weeks before Christmas with the closure of a well known Canterbury firm.

Troubled refrigeration company Blighline, which is based at Hersden, has been struggling to find a new owner since going into administration earlier in the year.

But devatasted staff learned of their fate this week after being told the business would shut for good today.

The company was started 40 years ago and supplied and installed refrigeration units to supermarkets, principally Tesco.

But it has been shedding jobs from its 240-strong workforce to save costs ever since first getting into difficulties two years ago.

Administrators Deloitte were called in to help keep it going and find a new owner.

But last week 31 employees were made redundant and this week bosses told the remaining staff the company had gone under and all the jobs were lost.

Joint managing director Roy Corker said it was a 'sad and emotional time' for staff who had worked hard to keep it going.

Meanwhile produce supplier Gomez, based at Bridge, says it is struggling to fill 20 vacancies because it cannot find suitable candidates.

It needs a range of staff, from fruit packers to management executives.

Managing director Jim Parmenter said: "I don't know why people aren't coming forward, but perhaps it's about their expectations of the job.

"Many of them are at the ground floor. But you start working on the shop floor and can progress - as some people have done - to management positions."