THE Bristol area has been dealt another jobs blow with the news that around 150 jobs are to be axed at a call centre run by Comet.

The news was announced yesterday to workers at the call centre in Clevedon and comes two weeks after it was announced that a tax office in the city centre is to close with the loss or more than 200 jobs.

Comet has been struggling and last week the electrical chain was sold for a nominal fee of just £2.

The company was bought by a firm of private investors called OpCapita and the new owners have already begun the process of making "significant savings" to save it from collapse.

Comet has been one of the retailers hardest hit by the downturn on the high street and has seen sales slump over the last year. The rising cost of living and uncertainty over the economy has meant that people are no longer spending as much on expensive items such TVs and luxury goods.

The problems in the sector have already seen the closure of the American owned Best Buy store at Cribbs Causeway.

Comet has its main customer support office in Windmill Road in Kenn, near Clevedon, and of the 450 job losses announced yesterday, a third are at the centre.

The firm said it is scaling back its in-house repairs operation, which covers the whole of the UK on behalf of major manufacturers.

A consultation will be carried out but the savings drive is expected to result in job losses for engineers and more than a third of the 414-strong workforce at the centre handling calls and administration in Clevedon.

The company said the move would allow it to focus resources "more single-mindedly" on its network of stores. It is part of a wider strategic review of the business, which has 248 stores and about 10,000 staff in the UK.

Comet chief executive Bob Darke added: "The proposal to reduce our staff numbers has been a very tough decision to make but significant savings are required to secure the long-term viability of our business."

It recently emerged that Comet revenues fell 14.5 per cent between November and January, while it posted losses of £22 million for six months' trading last year.

The former boss of Dixons Retail John Clare, pictured above, who has been appointed chairman of Comet, recently met with suppliers to win their support after trade credit insurers placed Comet under review.

Retail turnaround specialist OpCapita has taken on the business but former owner Kesa Electricals agreed to pump £50 million into the business and take on its pension liabilities.