Mobile services company Vodafone has sold its Warrington call centre to HEROtsc, Scotland's largest contact centre business.

The outsourcing company - rebranded from its original Telecom Services Centres after its 2007 acquisition by Indian-based HERO - will continue to handle calls for Vodafone's "higher-value" customers at the Warrington centre. Around 600 employees will transfer to the Scottish company, but remain working at the site.

David Turner, HEROtsc's CEO said: "This is a significant development in both the mobile and the contact centre markets and enables us to offer a long term future for the Vodafone employees who will be transferring to HEROtsc."

However, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) has reacted angrily to the deal. National organising secretary, John East, said: “If CWU was recognised at the Warrington site then Vodafone would have been legally obliged to consult with us over these changes and we would have been able to inform and protect staff."

Larbert-based HEROtsc already handles calls for Vodafone's pay-as-you-go customers at its Kilmarnock and Dunoon sites. It also has operations in Aviemore, Erskine, Falkirk, Greenock and Rothesay.

In April last year, the company announced it would probably have to lay off 300 employees, after major customer T-Mobile said it was moving work to a new centre in the Philippines.However, two months later the company enjoyed a turnaround in fortunes after it secured a large contract with broadcaster Sky. Other blue-chip clients include banking group HSBC and IT company Hewlett-Packard.