Top UK cable company NTL has announced it will sack 1,300 staff (of 22,000) in a restructure of the company. The news comes a week before the company's quarterly results and is due to a series of acquisitions it has made in the last year and a half.

The cuts are perfectly logical since there has been some overlapping with the acquired companies - the largest of which was Cable & Wireless' consumer arms. And this means it's middle management that will get it in the neck.

NTL president Barclay Knapp said it was the right time for a review of the company's structure and processes and has spotted heavy cost savings in cutting through management levels. "Delayering" was the term used.

The jobs will be cut over the next year. ®