Two undertakers have offered their services free of charge to help bury elderly twins who died in London within days of each other.

Workers were tonight hopeful for the redevelopment of the Co Longford pet food factory ravaged in a fire, after management at C&D Foods said it would be taking back 173 staff in two weeks.

The Longford County Mayor Frank Kilbride said tonight he expected the C and D pet food factory to be fully up and running within two years.

Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds tonight said his family would do everything they could to secure the 500 jobs at risk following a fire at a pet food factory in Longford.

A Longford businessman was tonight sentenced to two years in jail for staging a road accident between a truck and a car.