A CAR dealership’s site in Clacton is set to close.

Lookers Ford has told staff and customers it is shutting its branch, in Valleybridge Road, on November 18.

A consultation over redundancies is being carried out.

One worker’s wife, who asked not to be named, said staff were shocked by the news.

She added: “My husband and his colleagues were working when management came down and said the whole site is going to go – parts, sales and the body shop.

“They are all going to be laid off.”

She fears her husband will struggle to find another job in the town.

She said: “Employment in Clacton is going downhill.

“We knew this was going to happen at some stage, but we didn’t expect it to come before Christmas.”

Customers have received letters from Ford franchise director Ian Partridge informing them of the closure, saying it is due to the economic climate. Lookers has dealerships across the country, including in Colchester, Braintree, Witham and Chelmsford.

Pierre Oxley, district councillor for Clacton’s St Paul’s ward, said: “It is a big site, quite a big employer, and has been there for years.

“It is very upsetting for the staff and it’s disappointing to see a retailer leave the town.”

Parent company Lookers reported pre-tax profits of £22.6million for the first half of the year – close to record figures for 2010.

No one at Lookers was available for comment.