Workers reacted with stunned silence and tears at the news that 195 jobs were to go at the long-established family printing firm, Burgess.

The Abingdon firm, the largest independent greetings card manufacturer in Europe can trace its origins to 1836.

But it has suffered from tough competition in recent years, with 60 per cent of its traditional customer base now owned by groups with their own production capacity. The site, due to close on September 18, was said to be too large and costly to run. Many have worked for Burgess all their working lives and are still coming to terms with the fact they will lose their livelihoods

Terry Jones, of the Graphical Paper Media Union, was at the factory at Thames View Industrial Park when Burgess managing director Peter David broke the devastating news.

Mr Jones said: "They stood there for a while in stunned silence. Some girls were in tears. The union anticipated it, but apparently many of the workers had not."

Printer and father-of-three Richard Jenkinson, 41, now finds himself looking for work after 25 years with Burgess. He said: "I thought yesterday that the news would be of a buy-out, not this, even though it was always in the back of my mind.

"It's a big shock. I think it will sink in the day I actually walk out of the doors for the last time.

"I would rather stay in the area, but I would be extremely lucky to find the same work in Abingdon."

Mr David said his firm would do all it could to help staff re-locate to its other factories and was confident many would find new jobs.