ONE of the region's most famous companies is to campaign against Manchester's plans to introduce congestion charging.

Kellogg's, which employs 1,000 people at two Manchester sites, says the charge would make life too hard for its staff and too difficult to ship cereals from its Trafford Park plant.

Trafford Centre owners Peel Holdings is already firm opponents of the road pricing proposals, and Kellogg's stance will be a boost to the `no' campaign.

The US-owned cereal giant believes that several other big companies are ready to make a stand.

Communications director chief Chris Wermann said the company `welcomed' the proposals to invest £3bn in Greater Manchester's public transport infrastructure, but added: `they will not help us move cornflakes'.

The bid for funds from the government's Transport Innovation Fund, revealed exclusively by the M.E.N. a year ago, has been so hasty that the leaders have not yet consulted Kellogg's and other companies in Trafford Park, Kellogg's said.

"They said they would talk to us and we had been on their list of people to talk to. But how can you put a bid in without consulting businesses the size of ours?

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"This is the first time we have spoken out but we will be more vocal from now on. There are a number of other big businesses who will be doing the same," Mr Wermann added,

The company, which opened at Trafford Park in 1938 and makes more than 40 different cereals, last month moved to reassure staff that its investment in a state-of-the art factory in Poland does not sound the death-knell for its manufacturing force on Trafford Park.

The announcement of the Polish factory had sparked fears from staff about the future, particularly as more than 200 jobs have been lost over the last 18 months as part of an efficiency review.

And today he stressed: "This decision about congestion charging has no implications for the future of our Manchester factory or the head office."

e said both the plant and the Old Trafford-based head office are on the edge of what is likely to be the inner charging zone.

"No-one has been prepared to commit where the lines are going to be drawn. But wherever it is, there will be a significant impact on our employees."

He revealed the company's opposition after hearing that businesses in Greater Manchester will have to wait for the government to say `yes' to congestion charging before they will get to know exactly how much it will cost them.

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