ADMINISTRATORS say they are in discussions with several interested parties over the sale of the Bridgewater paper mill site in Ellesmere Port.

Decades of paper making drew to a close in February when 251 jobs were shed after production ceased.

Although a buyer for the site has yet to be found, a spokeswoman for administrators Ernst & Young LLP confirmed ‘we are in discussions with numerous parties’.

In early February, Canadian-based firm AbitibiBowater announced that its Bridgewater Paper Company Limited had filed for administration in the UK.

Soon after nearly 300 workers at the plant were ‘temporarily laid off’ as production was halted.

Originally 108 employees were affected but that number increased by a further 163.

Administrators were unable to find a buyer to save the plant so ‘with regret’ were forced to make staff redundant.

A remaining 49 workers continued at the mill temporarily to make sure customer orders were fulfilled.

Union convener Phil Morgan, from UNITE, described the plant closure as ‘the end of an era’.

Speaking following the closure, he added: “There’s been paper making on the site for decades.

“It’s part of the industrial fabric of the town.

“The task now is to try to get people fixed up with employment.”

“The workforce did all they could – apparently the last weekend there was record production.”

The plant produced 220,000 tonnes of paper a year and sold both UK and Canadian produced paper.