By Bryan Kay

THE FUTURE of a Dundee cold storage plant key to the farming industry in the east of Scotland appears to have finally been secured.

Unconfirmed reports suggest W. P. Bruce, of Balmyle near Meigle, and East Coast Viners, of Montrose, have joined forces to save the former Alpine Foods plant at Wester Gourdie.

Representatives of the firms are understood to have been spotted at the plant in the last few days and word from inside is a deal to transfer control from Dundee Investments Ltd is imminent.

Bill Bruce, of W. P. Bruce, declined to comment on the speculation but stopped short of rubbishing the word that an agreement has been reached.

The development will be welcomed by farmers, who rely on the plant to process and freeze the pea and bean harvest.

Both W. P. Bruce and East Coast Viners are key players in the industry and their move to secure the site is thought to herald a more secure future after what has been described as a tumultuous and unpredictable period under the owners of Alpine Foods.

Just over a week ago, The Courier revealed the controversial repurchase of Alpine by John Hughes, its managing director when it went into administration with several million pounds of debt in January.

A spokesman for Companies House confirmed he was the man behind Dundee Investments, prompting outrage among staff who lost their jobs when administrators BDO Stoy Hayward were called in.

The Scottish Executive awarded more than £1 million in grants to the plant and threatened to claw it back if it ceased to operate as a freezing and processing plant.

Meanwhile, as the news of the mooted sale broke, it emerged another plant owned by Mr Hughes’ company, Alpine Cold Stores Ltd, is being wound up.

The site in Bridlington, Yorkshire —key to the pea harvest in the area—is in the hands of administrators KPMG, according to reports. It is being operated by only a handful of staff and has been effectively closed since October.

The Bridlington site was formerly in the hands of Frigoscandia, later becoming Celsius First, before being taken on by Alpine.

The Courier has already revealed how both Frigoscandia and Celsius First had been linked to Mr Hughes.

What is left of Celsius First is also being wound down by administrators Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

The sole remaining site at Stratford is to close in the summer, according to workers contacted at the plant.