The chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe, says falling sales and the recession have forced the company into closing plants and axing jobs.

Stephen Odell added: "We have to act quickly and decisively to address the collapse in consumer demand in Europe today and position Ford for profitable growth tomorrow.

"We are reaffirming our commitment to the UK with a major investment in powertrain and engineering and one which will reinforce the UK's central role in Ford's global powertrain strategy."

Ford employs around 11,400 workers in the UK at plants including Dagenham, Halewood on Merseyside and Bridgend in South Wales.