MORE than 90 workers face an uncertain New Year after they were told a Gwent packaging firm has gone into liquidation.

On Monday night-shift workers at Merton Packaging in Aberbeeg turned up for work to be told the company was closing.

In August, the firm, which manufactures cardboard boxes, closed its sister site in Burnley, Lancashire, with the loss of 300 jobs.

Now its Gwent workers, based at the Glandwr Industrial Estate, say they are "devastated" by the news of its closure.

One worker, who did not want to be named, told the Argus the news had come as a shock.

She said: "We just couldn't believe it. We turned up for our shift and there were security men outside the building.

"They said the company had gone into liquidation and we should go home.

"I can't believe the company let us find out like that. We had been away for Christmas and then arrive back to that news. It's devastating for us."

A pre-production operative at the factory, who asked not to be named, said: "The first we heard about it was when we turned up for work at 8am and saw that the boards had been put up.

"The security men at the site told us it was closed and that the receivers would be in today to tell us more.

"As far as we are concerned it is all done and dusted. We've had no notice at all which I think is wrong.

"We had a feeling that it might happen because the place was running down a bit towards the end of last year.

"I've been working there for many years and to turn up and find it is closed is a real shocker."