HOMEBASE staff across north Worcestershire and the Black Country face an uncertain future with a raft of store closures on the cards.

The DIY chain, which has branches in Kidderminster, Bromsgrove, and Oldbury, is expected to announce it will file for a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) next week.

The controversial insolvency procedure is used by struggling firms to shut under-performing stores.

Up to 80 stores are thought to be under threat across the country, putting between 1,500 to 2,000 jobs at risk.

When contacted by this paper, a spokesman for Homebase said the company did not have a comment at this stage.

The latest restructuring would come on top of a store closure programme the retailer has been carrying out since February.

A total of 17 Homebase stores have been shut this year and the business has also axed 303 jobs at its head office in Milton Keynes.

Its former Australian owner Wesfarmers sold Homebase to Hilco, a retail turnaround specialist, for £1 in May.

Homebase had previously been bought by Wesfarmers for £340 million in 2016.