IT is the iconic loaf served up on Britain’s breakfast tables for generations.

But now 82 Hampshire workers who help keep Hovis a part of the nation’s diet are facing the axe after their bakery was earmarked for closure.

Staff on the production line in Toynbee Road, Eastleigh, are fearing for their futures after the owner of the famous bread-maker carried out a review of its supply chain.

If plans to shut the unit get the go - ahead, they will be out of a job by mid June.

But a distribution centre which operates from the same site and employs some 90 staff, will be unaffected, according to Hovis owners Premier Foods.

Bosses say Eastleigh’s bakery is its smallest and “lacks the flexibility to meet our future requirements”.

But the announcement has been described by Union bosses as a “sad day” for the town.

One member of staff who wished to remain anonymous said: “They were going to shut it some years ago, but at least we have had that amount of time – but now in 13 weeks I will be out of a job.”

It is the latest hammer blow for manufacturing in Eastleigh.

In June 2004 Manor Bakeries revealed it was axing the Mr Kipling factory in Eastleigh with the loss of 423 jobs.

And early last year up to 50 Hovis staff, consisting of warehouse operators, drivers and administrative workers were told they were facing the axe amid plans to close a separate distribution centre in Chandler’s Ford.

The latest announcement has dismayed Frank Loveday, from the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union. Now he is set for talks with bosses on Thursday when a period of consultation gets under way.

He said: “I am very disappointed that Premier Foods has yet again found that Eastleigh is not considered good enough to continue to be sustained – the workers there try their hardest and always do their best.

“It’s a sad day for this area as we have lost so much in manufacturing, both in Eastleigh and Southampton.

“The most important thing is the impact this is going to have on the community. When you talk about production, all of them will be local to the Eastleigh or Southampton area.

“This is part of our history that’s going.”

A spokesman from Premier Foods said the move was all part of its ongoing efforts to “improve the utilisation and cost effectiveness of the Hovis supply chain”.

He said: “As a result, the company is proposing that its bakery at Eastleigh, Hampshire, will cease production no later than mid June, 2012.

“This will, regrettably, affect approximately 82 jobs and consultation will begin immediately with those affected by this proposal and their representatives.

“The Hovis distribution centre at Eastleigh, which employs approximately 90 people, is unaffected by this proposal.”