South Pembrokeshire suffered a jobs blow this week with the news that the plug had finally been pulled on ITV Digital.

The future of over 1,000 jobs at the broadcaster's Pembroke Dock call centre have been hanging in the balance since the end of March, ever since ITV Digital went into administration.

Officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, the purpose-built call centre at Cleddau Bridge is the biggest single private employer in Pembrokeshire, with staff coming from far and wide throughout the county.

These staff, contracted to ITV Digital through employers Manpower and 7C, were called in on Tuesday to be told that efforts to save the failing company, or find a new buyer for it, had failed and all subscription channels would go off air from 7 am on Wednesday morning.

As a result, all the staff at the call centre would be given one week's notice. A skeleton staff would remain to maintain the centre.

A special JobCentre has also been set-up at the call centre to try to help the workers find replacement employment in the area

Losing an estimated £1 million a day, ITV Digital were forced to call in the accountants following their failure to re-broker a deal with with the Football League to broadcast the three divisions of the Nationwide League and the Worthington Cup.

ITV Digital had agreed to pay £315 million for the rights over three years, but poor viewing figures and advertising revenue resulted in the pay-TV company's owners, Granada and Carlton Communications, applying for a High Court administration order after it was revealed that there were insufficient funds to honour the £178 million left owing on the deal.

They had tried to re-negotiate with the League to pay just £50 million, but this had been turned down by football bosses as they claim that many of the teams in the lower leagues are relying on this funding to avoid bankruptcy themselves.

After attempts to restructure costs, broker a new deal with the Football League or find a new buyer failed, administrators Deloitte and Touche reluctantly took the decision to shut down the service on Tuesday.

Although the news has come as a bitter blow for the workforce, it had not been totally unexpected, and work is already underway to find new users for the centre.

An action group, including MPs, AMs, Pembrokeshire County Council, Elwa and the Welsh Development Agency, has been set-up and hopes were still high that another company could be attracted to use the facilities at the call centre, although they admit this could take time.

Local MP Nick Ainger said the closure was an enormous blow to the community as the number of job losses would double the unemployment rate in the Pembroke/Tenby travel to work area overnight.

However, he was "absolutely confident" that alternative clients for the centre could be found.

Mr. Ainger admitted that it was unlikely that one big client, like ITV Digital, would come forward, although he did feel there was better security in a range of clients.

"Of course, with Carlton and Granada behind ITV Digital, no-one envisaged things turning out like this," he admitted. "However, I envisage a range of clients, moving up to the centre's capacity of between 1,200 and 1,400."

In fact, he was expecting an announcement on one new client for the centre as we went to press yesterday (Thursday).

"The operation will be on a smaller scale than ITV Digital, but it will be a clear vote of confidence in the staff," he told the Observer.

"A number of other interested parties have already made contact, even before ITV Digital made the announcement, based on the excellent facilities at the centre and the excellent reputation of the staff, and I am absolutely confident that these will bear fruit."

Mr. Ainger felt it was important to keep the workforce in contact with the centre, and revealed that a meeting between himself, fellow MP Jackie Lawrence, AM Christine Gwyther, and representatives from the WDA, Elwa, National Assembly, Job Centre Plus, Manpower, 7C, the Transport and General Workers Union and the county council had been held on Wednesday to discuss the way forward.

"The package will be aimed at targeting training and maintaining the links between the workforce and the centre so that, even if they get other jobs, they can develop their skills for when any future clients come along," he said.

"I appreciate, there will be a time lag, and it is understandable that people want a wage packet as soon as possible, but it is important that contact is kept between the call centre and its staff because we are certain that new clients will be found.

"7C are initiating a marketing campaign directed at the private sector, while I have already initiated a trawl through Government departments to see if there is any customer contact work in the pipeline.

"While this naturally would have to be tendered for, on cost and quality, there is no question that the facilities and staff at Pembroke Dock are amongst the best in Europe."

Mr. Ainger felt there may also be hope for Pembroke Dock in Wednesday's news by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell that a new buyer for ITV Digital could be found within six weeks.

"Although a new buyer for ITV Digital does not guarantee they would need the call centre, we will be pointing out to any successor or successors, the skills available in Pembroke Dock, if it does not already have its own call centre facilities," explained Mr. Ainger.

"I will be contacting the ITC to find out when they will be in a position to name the successor, so that approaches can be made."

The leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, Clr. Maurice Hughes, admitted that this week announcement by ITV Digital's administrators was one that "everyone had feared for some days."

"This is extremely sad news, and the staff and management at the centre have my utmost sympathy," he said. "They are an extremely well-trained workforce and the situation in which they find themselves is not of their making and out of their control.

"However, as joint owner of the centre, the council has every confidence in the ability of our tenants, Manpower and 7C Ltd., to attract new clients.

"We will be working with them and other agencies to ensure that new customers are found for the centre.

"The building is probably one of the most technically advanced customer contact centres in the country and is manned by a highly skilled, well-motivated and adaptable workforce.

"I feel these qualities are of considerable benefit to any potential new client and could prove to be the centre's salvation."

The Assembly's First Minister, and its economic development minister, Andrew Davies, both agreed this week that the high standard of service at the centre meant it stood a good chance of attracting new clients in the near future.

Mr. Davies was also due to make a statement to the Assembly on the situation as we were going to press yesterday (Thursday).