Bosses at the Ducal plant in Andover are to let 49 of their shop floor staff go as part of further cost-cutting measures.

The company made 90 support and administrative staff redundant in March.

Ducal was recently bought by rival furniture manufacturer Silentnight.

In a bid to stop a �3.2m fall in profits Silentnight closed a factory in Keighley, West Yorkshire earlier this year, with a loss of 180 jobs.

Another recent acquisition by Silentnight was Parker Knoll, a furniture maker famous for its reclining chairs, in a �230m deal.