Hundreds of jobs in the West Midlands are to go at luxury car maker Jaguar and its Ford-owned stablemate Land Rover, it emerged today.

Up to 300 office posts could be lost at the two companies as part of a voluntary redundancy scheme to restructure the car makers.

A spokesman for Jaguar and Land Rover, Don Hume, said: "We have a voluntary redundancy programme in place for up to 300 salaried staff right across the Jaguar/Land Rover organisation in Britain.

"It's part of ongoing business restructuring and in line with what the parent company Ford is doing on a global scale."

Mr Hume said eligible employees at offices in Castle Bromwich, in Birmingham; Gaydon, in Warwickshire; Whitley, in Coventry, and Halewood, on Merseyside, were being invited to apply.

David Osbourne, national car industry negotiator for the Transport and General Workers' Union, said: "We have been advised that there are a limited number of people who will be allowed to leave the company voluntarily."

Ford said in June this year it was "evaluating options for reducing personnel-related costs outside of North America" after warning on profits for the second time in three months.