LEADING card manufacturer Riverdale Publishing has announced four job cuts.

Riverdale, which employs 109 people in Silsden, said the redundancies were necessary following its acquisition last month of Keighley company UK Card Publishing.

Phillip Needham, Riverdale's chief executive, regretted the job cuts, but said they were needed if the company was to thrive in an increasingly competitive market.

Mr Needham said: "Further to our recent announcement regarding the acquisition of UK Card Publishing, the board of Riverdale Publishing has undertaken a complete review of the business.

"As part of that review, it has been identified that the newly merged business will no longer require as many employees.

"All staff at UK Card Publishing had been given notices of likely redundancies at the end of February by the previous owners.

"However, Riverdale managed to save 29 of these jobs, but a loss of four further jobs was necessary at the Silsden site as a result of restructuring in line with current business needs."

In November last year, the company moved from Dewhurst's Mill in Skipton to its current 90,000sqft factory and office complex off Keighley Road.