Fourteen jobs to go at Fugro-BKS

The workforce at the Coleraine mapping firm now stands at just 24.

In its heyday around 200 local staff were employed by the company.

Fugro-BKS (formerly BKS Surveys) was established in 1956 in Surrey.

In 1965, BKS expanded its operation through new offices in Coleraine, and in 1967, the Leatherhead production facility was transferred to an enlarged Coleraine unit, from which all overseas and European operations have since been controlled.

In April 2008 BKS joined the Fugro group.

Speaking from the company’s head office in the Netherlands, ‎Director of Corporate Strategy and Communication of Rob Luijnenburg told The Times: “ As a company we are dependant on government related contracts and this has been suffering over the past few years due to the slump in infrastructure.

“The redudancies have been made across the group, not just in Coleraine.”

He added: “Consultations with the staff are ongoing. We are helping staff with CVs and interview techniques. We’re doing all that we can for the staff in these difficult times.”