This is what the former Fenland Foods factory in Grantham looks like now as demolition is almost complete

A factory which has been a workplace for hundreds, if not thousands, of Grantham people is almost demolished.

Very little remains of the former Fenland Foods site, in Turnpike Close, off Swingbridge Road, as demolition is under way.

This morning (Wednesday), the final building was being torn down by workmen, while rubble across the remainder of the site was being removed.

Demolition is on the instruction of Brackley Property Developments, a Leicester-based firm which specialises in commercial developments such as office suites and business parks.

As reported by the Journal last July, the company applied to South Kesteven District Council for permission to raze the metal-clad, steel-framed food factory buildings and associated hard standings entirely to “facilitate new development” of industrial and commercial units.

The site, built in 1986, has stood empty for 12 years, after initially being mothballed by its owner, Northern Foods, in 2008 when it lost a contract with Marks & Spencer to provide Italian ready meals.

It led to more than 700 people being made redundant.

There was uproar when the partnership between Northern Foods and M&S broke down.

As 730 people faced losing their jobs, union GMB staged a protest outside the M&S flagship store in Marble Arch, London.

At the time, M&S told the Journal it had “worked hard with Northern Foods to try to reach an agreement about products supplied by Fenland Foods”.

It added: “The decision to remove certain products from Northern Food’s Fenland site was an extremely difficult one to make and we were saddened to see that the site is to be mothballed.”

Meanwhile, Northern Foods claimed it had no plans to sell the site and said it had “a long term future”.