Hundreds of people signed a petition in Cromer town centre today to put pressure on a seafood processing giant to keep open the town's crab factory.

Two-hundred-and-thirty jobs are at stake if Young's goes ahead with its threat to close Cromer Crab Company - a plan that was announced on Tuesday.

But today, campaigners from North Norfolk Labour Party were out in force, standing on Church Street and visiting shops and pubs to collect almost 500 signatures for their Keep it Cromer Campaign.

The efforts came as momentum was building to retain the factory, whose future is the subject of a 90-day consultation period that is set to begin in a few days.

Today, every resident in Cromer was due to get a letter from North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb, urging them to throw their weight behind efforts to save the town's biggest private employer.

And on Thursday, the EDP's sister paper, the North Norfolk News, will launch a 'Claws Off' campaign, putting more pressure on Young's.

Cromer mayor Greg Hayman joined campaigners in Cromer to collect signatures and drum up support for the factory and its workers.

He said: 'This is something that really seems to be uniting the community and visitors alike.

'One of the things that surprised me is just how many people in Cromer either work at the crab company or have friends, family or neighbours who do.

'That shows just how close and personal this issue is. If this fight is lost, it's going to have a huge impact.'

Sam Rushworth from the Labour group said: 'We want this to be non-partisan. This is about fighting for people's jobs and for the town.'

? Do you have any memories of working at the crab company? What do you think about plans to close it? Write to the North Norfolk News, 31, Church Street, Cromer, NR27 9ES, email steve.downes@archant.co.uk, post your comments on the North Norfolk News' Facebook page or comment via @nthnorfolknews on Twitter. The best contributions will be reproduced in the paper.