Makers of London buses complain of death threats

Police are investigating reports that death threats have been issued against members of a family whose company manufactured London's iconic low-emission double-decker bus.

Investigators say the family has been bombarded with threats ever since the company it owns, Wrightbus, collapsed last week with the loss of more than 1,200 jobs. The engineering giant from Ballymena, in Northern Ireland, was a pioneer of low-floor buses.

Wrightbus had been attempting to find a buyer in the weeks leading up to its collapse and had been on the brink of forging a deal with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and another company when it failed last week and the proposed take-over evaporated.

Jeff Wright, the company's former director and who is son of its founder, William Wright, told the Guardian newspaper: "There have been sinister developments involving threats to the life of Wright family members and I am asking all elected representatives and those with influence in the community to help end this intimidation and fear."

Wright said the closure of the family business after 70 years in operation had been "devastating to our loyal and highly skilled workforce".

"Generations of families have worked alongside our own family over all these years and so this is deeply and personally felt by everyone," he told the paper. "We are here to provide our administrators, Deloitte, with all information, order books, financial records and whatever is needed to establish a future plan for the bus manufacturing operation… Our commitment to supporting all efforts is unwavering."

The UK's current prime minister, Boris Johnson, ordered the company's version of the distinctive red double-decker bus back when he was mayor of London and trade unions have criticized him for failing to save the company and the jobs. Johnson had earlier told Parliament he and his government would do all they could to support Wrightbus.

The BBC reported on Sunday that hundreds of people protested the company's failure outside a Ballymena church that was the recipient of more than 15 million pounds ($18.4 million) of donations from Wrightbus when the company was profitable. The corporation said Jeff Wright was a pastor at the Green Pastures Church.

The church said in a statement: "As with any donation we receive as a church, we are incredibly grateful for the support the Wright family have offered us. They, along with many others, chose to be generous when their family business enabled them to do so."

The company, which was founded in 1946, attributed its collapse to a falling demand in the UK.

The Belfast Telegraph reported that 92-year-old William Wright, the company's founder, was applauded when he arrived at the church and apologized to those who lost their jobs.

The newspaper said the company had a policy of giving almost a third of pre-tax profit to Christian charities.