Irish directory enquiries company Conduit has closed one of its UK call centre with the loss of 100 jobs.

The company, which has struggled to build a customer base in the recently-deregulated British directory enquiries market, said the decision to shut the Welwyn Garden City centre in Hertfordshire was made to ensure the viability of its British operations.

Conduit remains bullish about its performance in the Republic, where it operates the 11850 service and has ruled out reducing its 800-strong workforce here.

It has already shed 250 jobs this year in Britain, including about 110 at the Welwyn unit, as the British market proved tougher than expected.

Chief executive Mr Liam Young left the company in September "for personal reasons".

A Mori survey indicates that, despite a multi-million pound marketing campaign, Conduit has failed to achieve widespread brand recognition in Britain.

Conduit acquired the Welwyn centre from Vodafone earlier this year.