A SWINDON truck company is to breath new life into old buildings following a £1.1bn deal for military vehicles.

Man ERF, based at Blagrove in West Swindon, will also create a "significant number" of new jobs following the order for more than 5,000 new trucks for the Ministry of Defence.

The MoD has given the go-ahead for the contract the largest vehicle order in Europe for 25 years, and the company's largest ever.

Man ERF will also provide vehicle servicing support for the next 20 years, worth around £600m.

At a special event with South Swindon MP Julia Drown, chief executive Des Evans said the order would not only secure current jobs but lead to further expansion.

He said: "This order not only underpins many jobs, it is going to give us confidence boost and add to the investment we have put in.

Talking about jobs, Mr Evans said it was too early to be accurate but said he expected a "significant number of jobs" to be created in the Swindon area as a result of the MoD order.

The company also announced that several of its departments including the financial services, MoD department and a new bus and coach division called Neoman, will be moving into the former Anchor Butter facility, just opposite Man ERF site at Blagrove.

The company is already taking on 20 extra staff and is about to begin refurbishment of some of its current facilities.