UNIONS have warned workers at Swindon's Rover plant to be prepared for more redundancies.

More than 300 workers at Swindon Pressings Ltd are currently being shed through voluntary redundancy.

BMW, which owns the factory, confirmed employees have already started leaving the plant in Gipsy Lane, Stratton, as part of a long-term redundancy programme.

The first workers left on Friday, June 30 and neither unions or BMW would today put a ceiling on the figure.

Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union convener at the plant, Brian Tildesley, said: "The plant is now a supply plant to the other former Rover plants and is therefore largely dictated by their production schedules.

"I don't think the plant will go into freefall but I'd imagine there will be a lot more redundancies to follow this round."

Swindon Pressings Ltd currently employs around 2,300 workers.

The redundancies follow the shake up of the Rover Group over the last few months, which saw the Rover brand bought from BMW by the Phoenix Consortium, headed by former Rover boss John Towers.

Swindon's plant stayed under BMW ownership to supply the Longbridge and Cowley plants with body panels.

Spokesman for BMW Group UK, Werner Rothfuss, confirmed the redundancy programme had got underway, but emphasised that those leaving at this stage are entirely voluntary.

He said the Swindon plant was having to adjust to new turnaround targets following the break up of Rover.