SWINDON Pressings is counting the cost of contracts coming to an end in human terms with the loss of about 330 jobs.

In September it was feared that the termination of deals with MG Rover and Land Rover would mean some redundancies but nothing on a mass scale.

We wished the company well then in finding more contracts and holding on to jobs for the employees.

Swindon Pressings has tried hard to restructure the business to maintain jobs but the predicted fall in third party contracts has become a reality.

There is good news in that the popularity of the revamped Mini is rising and there will be work making panels for BMW which manufactures that model.

But in the long term there is no doubt that the future is insecure for more workers in the car industry in Britain.

The motor industry is virtually all owned by the foreign car conglomerates from Japan, Germany, the USA, France and Italy, but by knowing which cars and parts are made in this country you could make a difference.

Perhaps it is time to go back to the values of the 1970s when Britons were urged to buy British-made products and support the economy.