MALLOW has been haemorrhaging jobs for 20 years with no sign of government investment, a first-time runner for Cork County Council has claimed.

THE welcome news that a reduction in oil prices and cheaper mortgages cut inflation to its lowest rate in almost 11 years last month is inevitably overshadowed by worrying news that nearly 2,000 more jobs may be lost in Munster in the coming days or weeks.

Up to 400 jobs in the Cork motor industry are believed to be under threat due to the collapse in car sales worldwide.