Nestlé is to close its canned milk products factory in Ashbourne, Derbyshire and is scaling down production at factories at Girvan and Dalston as part of a major shake-up of its UK milk business.

Some branded products such as Simply Double and Carnation Evaporated Milk will now be produced by Associated Co-op Creameries, part of the Co-op Group, while Nestlé’s Sweetened Condensed Milk will shift to its sites in The Netherlands.

The move will also see Nestlé outsource its milk supply to First Milk.

Nestlé’s boss in the UK, Alistair Sykes, said the reorganisation would affect upto 160 employees.