SIX skilled jobs have been lost from a key employer on the Llyn Peninsula just months after staff were promised they would be no job losses.

Afonwen, a laundry firm established in Pwllheli in 1935, was bought by cleaning chain giant Johnson Service Group, JSG, for £52.6m in May 2016 when employees say they were assured that the move would not lead to any redundancies.

However it was announced this week, less than a year and a half later, that the company’s finance department is moving to Runcorn, causing six jobs to be axed.

Afonwen has reportedly vowed to take on more staff in future and said that they were expecting to advertise 10 new jobs next year.

In a statement Mark Woolfenden, managing director at the firm, said: “Afonwen remains committed to our Chwilog site and have just experienced our busiest summer season on record, delivering over 960,000 items a week in the peak of August.

“Following the acquisition of Afonwen by Johnson Service Group plc a difficult decision has been taken to relocate the finance team to Johnson’s head office in Runcorn with comprehensive relocation packages available or very generous redundancy packages.”

Mr Woolfenden said three people have been made redundant this month and two more will be made redundant early next year with the remaining team member relocating to Runcorn.

He added: “We have fully supported each person and it’s anticipated all have secured or are securing alternative local employment as their roles finish.

“We continue to recruit in other areas of the business and fully anticipate further growth and more job creation in Chwilog into 2018.”

The company was founded in 1935 by William George, the brother of former Prime Minister David Lloyd George, and currently deals with over 2.5 million items of linen a week every week.