Croydon's newly-elected Conservative council has abandoned its pre-election pledge to save Crosfield.

The Tories have been accused of giving the disabled Crosfield workers false hope with promises of reopening the Imperial Way factory if elected then going back on their word.

After claiming just a few months ago that only a "small sum" would be needed to revitalise Crosfield, the Conservatives now say it is too expensive to replace the machinery, which has been sold off since the business closed.

Stephen Silver, the father of a former Crosfield employee, said: "The Conservative council has wriggled out of its pre-election pledge to re-open Crosfield on the flimsy excuse of the equipment having been sold off.

"The only equipment used by the disabled workers consisted of a lorry, a Transit van, two forklift trucks and leased printing equipment a pittance when compared to Crosfield's annual turnover and expenditure.

"It is strange this council cannot spend a relatively small amount to re-equip Crosfield, but can continue paying for the previous Labour council's £1.5million support package, which is worse than useless.

"I believe the Conservatives' real reason for not re-opening Crosfield is they no more want the responsibility for this large group of disabled workers than Labour did."

Mr Silver also said former employees were being urged to take part-time jobs in hotels and at McDonald's, as part of the support package.

Crosfield was closed on March 31 in spite of fierce protest by the then Labour-run council, which said it was no longer financially viable.

In January Conservative Councillor Margaret Mead, who is now cabinet member for health and social care, said in a letter to the Croydon Guardian: "It will only take a small sum to revitalise this 40-year-old asset."

Now Council leader Mike Fisher says start-up costs are too high, but admitted it was "probably" less than the £1.5million support packages Labour put in place.

Coun Fisher denied the pledge was an election sweetener and said: "Our pledge was very specific, that we would be able to do something as long as the building was still there and the machinery hadn't been sold off.

"What we are doing is looking at other ways where we can employ some, if not all, of the employees within parts of the council. We would have liked to be able to keep it open, but that's life."