THE receiver for Caithness Glass yesterday announced that a deal had been signed to secure the future of the company's Perth and King's Lynn sites.

Deloitte, insolvency specialists, said the sale of Caithness Glass was signed with a subsidiary of The Edinburgh Crystal Glass Company Ltd.

However, the deal will result in the closure of the ailing company's Wick factory and the loss of 50 jobs in the county where it began more than 40 years ago.

Deloitte, the receiver, which was called in last month to rescue the business, confirmed on Thursday the Wick factory would not be part of its recovery strategy.

Yesterday was the closing date for receipt of indicative offers.

Andy Peters, of Deloitte, issued a statement confirming the deal and said: ''The sale secures the future of the Perth and King's Lynn sites and brings together two of Scotland's leading giftware brands.''

Last night, Roseanna Cunningham, the SNP MSP for Perth, said she would be seeking a meeting with management at Edinburgh Crystal for reassurances over the jobs at the Perth site.

She said: ''We've been waiting on this for months and my concern is to know exactly what deal has been completed and what it means for the 100 workers in Perth. ''

Caithness Glass relocated its headquarters to Perth in 1989 and was taken over in 2001 by Royal Worcester and Spode.

When the receiver was appointed, about 150 jobs were at stake, mostly in Perth and Wick, and also at the company's shop in Oban.

Deloitte said on Thursday the Wick factory, which once employed more than 100, would not be included in a new strategy, which would focus on Perth. About 30 staff in Wick, where unemployment is running at about 7%, will be made redundant immediately.

The remaining 20 employees will be retained for a few weeks to wind down the business.

Last month, a spokesman for the receivers blamed eastern European competition and the strength of the pound as two major factors that had caused the crisis.

No-one was available for comment at Edinburgh Crystal or Caithness Glass.