A KEIGHLEY general election hopeful has voiced fears over the possible closure of the town’s branch of Johnson Cleaners.

Johnson, Britain’s largest dry-cleaning chain, last week announced it would close more than a third of its 307 high street outlets.

John Grogan, Labour’s Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Keighley constituency, said Johnsons Sevices Group had announced an overall increase in half year profits of 45 per cent late last year.

He said: "Given these figures their closure announcement looks rather premature. Hopefully their decision to pull out of Keighley will leave a gap in the market which another business will fill.”

A Johnson spokesman this week said the company could not yet reveal which branches were due to close, because consultations were under way with staff.