French car giant Peugeot-Citroen is to end production at its Ryton factory in Coventry with the loss of 2,300 jobs, it was announced today.
The plant will stop making the Peugeot 206 model next year.
The decision was given to union officials who had been summoned to a meeting with company bosses.
* How will the closure of Ryton affect you? Click here to get in touch *
Union sources said they had been fearing bad news but expressed shock at the scale of the announcement.
Thousands of other jobs depend on the Ryton factory and the decision is yet another blow to the car industry in the West Midlands following last year's collapse of MG Rover.
See Wednesday's Post for more on this story including:
* reaction from workers
* analysis of the demise of motor manufacturing in the West Midlands
* a look at Peugeot's history in the region
