By Matthew Legg

Last updated 11:30, Monday, 15 December 2008

AN ESTIMATED 1,513 jobs have been lost in Cumbria in the last 10 weeks as the county teeters on the brink of recession.

Posts in sectors as diverse quarrying, tyre production and newspaper publishing have been lost because of the credit crunch, the slowdown in consumer spending and the fall in house prices.

And most commentators agree that worse could be in store next year with Britain expected to suffer unemployment levels reaching three million.

In the 10 weeks from October 1,513 redundancies were announced in north and west Cumbria and Barrow.

The news comes after the News & Star revealed 282 jobs were lost in September alone.

The latest figures include an estimated 266 jobs at doomed retailer Woolworths, 25 jobs at Barrow shipyard and 20 jobs at Carlisle tyre plant Pirelli.

Pirelli said the losses were made because of a fall in demand for tyres across the world as a result of the collapse in new car sales.

Other big announcements include CN Group, publisher of the News & Star, revealing it will shed 40 jobs as a response to sliding advertising revenue.

Thirty jobs were also lost when fish firm Cumbrian Seafoods closed its flagship west Cumbrian factory at Maryport.

The building trade was badly hit with 20 jobs lost at Flimby builder Thomas Armstrong after the Penrith New Squares shopping scheme was halted.

Twenty two positions were also lost at two Cumbrian quarries and widespread lay-offs were made across construction firms.

Penrith firm Cumbrian Homes handed notices of redundancy to 19 of its tradesmen and site operatives.

In the entertainment sector, Carlisle pub The Caledonian closed with the loss of 14 jobs.

And five project worker jobs were lost when the East Cumbria Countryside Project

In Furness, 17 workers were thrown on the dole after the closure of the Habasco cushion factory.

Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said the slump in consumer confidence was the chief culprit in the trend towards job losses.