Hundreds of jobs are set to be lost at marine engineering yards owned by BiFab.

Union leaders have revealed management has started issuing redundancy notices to the core workforce at yards in Fife and on Lewis, giving 45 days' notice of their closure.

The yards have been working on components for the £2.6 billion Beatrice offshore windfarm in the Moray Firth

Unite said it expects 260 jobs will be lost, with redundancies beginning in May.

Regional Officer Bob McGregor said: "So much has been done to save these yards until now. The workers there have fought for their future and it is difficult to believe that it can now be snatched away from them. The closures of these yards will turn these areas into an industrial graveyard. The prospect fills us with dismay.”

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The union added the decision to close the yards could only be reversed if new contracts for work are signed.

Scottish Green MSPs John Finnie and Mark Ruskell have written to the government's economic development agencies urging them to step up efforts to secure new orders.

Mr Ruskell, the party's Energy spokesperson, said: "Scottish Enterprise and HIE must step up their engagement to ensure maximum support for the BiFab workforce both in the short-term and long-term. It's not in the renewable industry's interests for BiFab to go down, so all angles need to be covered in attempts to safeguard these valuable jobs in Fife, on Lewis and in the wider sector across Scotland.

"If we're to reap the rewards of a low-carbon economy, we must ensure renewables are at the heart of energy policy with a commitment to zero carbon emissions by 2040 to help drive innovation and investment. I look forward to all parties and the enterprise agencies coming together to win the battle for BiFab."

(LM/MH)