A DARK cloud was hanging heavy over Bathgate last night, reflecting the sombre mood of a town betrayed.

Workers see little hope for their future and feel cheated.

One, a father of two young children, said: ''There hasn't been a single manager at the plant over the last few days. Not one has had the guts to even come down and give us a platitude.

''We've had to glean what little we know from the internet.''

Main production at the factory has been halted for a two-week Easter break, although employees in other areas are still at work, and another worker said last night: ''There is not a single guy who came out of work before the place was closed for Easter who believes he will still have a job when he goes back in after the break.''

He added: ''A forum was organised which was supposed to be for negotiation but it was nothing but a sham''

Bill McMaster, secretary of Bathgate Community Council, said the wider implications of the impact on the area were only just beginning to come into focus.

He said: ''This is very bad news for the whole of Bathgate. There will be a knock-on effect on numerous local businesses. Unfortunately, once again every time the windows blow in over the multinationals, they withdraw from Scotland.

''It is with great dismay I heard this news and I feel heart-sorry for the young people who work there. It is a young man's business at Motorola and there are a lot of families out there with young kids for whom it will be a disaster.''

The Rev Ron Greig, of Bathgate High Parish Church, said that if Motorola was to close it would be ''an absolute tragedy'' for the town. He said: ''It would be British Leyland all over again and the town has been through that already. The people of Bathgate have known Motorola has been in trouble for some time and have been waiting with bated breath to know just how bad it is going to be.

''But it isn't just Bathgate people who come to work at Motorola. All the surrounding villages and towns had their hopes built up not that long ago with an announcement about new jobs. ''If it closes, it will be a terrible blow.''

Previous estimates by chambers of commerce put knock-on job losses at as much as three times the individual company's own redundancy level. That means a shadow has been cast over up to 9000 jobs across the Lothians and Lanarkshire.

Ken Taylor, 56, of Glasgow, is bracing himself for the demise of the second industry in which he has specialised. A former welder, Mr Taylor said a large number of employees come from Glasgow, Airdrie, and Coatbridge.

He added: ''There has been a problem for at least a year. Everyone has known. When you look in the shops Motorola products are not getting properly advertised and we have seen this building up.

''We have been acutely aware of what was happening for about four months now. A year ago they spent a lot of money, millions of pounds, opening up a new production line with new machinery and it has never actually operated.

''We had all hoped the plant in Germany would suffer the brunt of the job losses but they clearly think more of the Germans' work than they do of ours.''

Willie Dunn, deputy leader of West Lothian Council and chair of its economic development committee, said the area was not as vulnerable as it was in the 1980s, when Leyland pulled out.

''Nevertheless, Motorola is the largest single private-sector employer in the area and closure would be a devastating blow to the local economy. This will be a psychological blow to the confidence of the area which will be difficult to get over, but the reality is there has been a downturn in the mobile phone market and generally things look bleak,'' he added.

Two decades of downsizing

May 2000: 261 workers at the Daks Simpson clothing

plant in Polbeth lost their jobs.

The firm was hit by ailing high street store Marks & Spencer's decision to pull out of British contracts in favour of foreign suppliers.

April 2000: 31 workers made redundant at the Edgar Allen foundry in Bathgate; 99 jobs shed at Grampian Country Food Group's food processing plant in Broxburn.

March 2000: 80 jobs go at the APB Ltd sheep abattoir in Bathgate.

October 1999: 800 employees lose their jobs at the Continental tyre factory in Newbridge and 300 job losses announced when sports manufacturer Russell Athletic said it was closing factories in Livingston and Bo'ness.

September 1999: Almost 600 jobs go as the jeans manufacturers Levi's announced the closure of the Whitburn plant.

August 1999: 250 jobs lost as Mitsubishi shut down its video recorder factory in Livingston.

June 1999: 260-strong workforce at electronics

firm Seagate in

Livingston told factory is to close.

1984: British Leyland plant closed in Bathgate resulting in the loss of 2000 jobs.

1980s: Leyland's closure was a bitter blow for Bathgate, still reeling from two other high-profile closures. More than 3000 jobs had already been lost after Polkemmet colliery and the Bathgate branch of the electronics firm Plessey closed down. In the wake of these closures, unemployment in the area soared to 26%.