MULTI-MILLIONAIRE James Dyson says he cannot guarantee the jobs of workers at the Malmesbury factory after making 590 people redundant by moving vacuum cleaner production to Malaysia.

Mr Dyson said that he is excited about the future but, despite good sales of the Contrarotator washing machine, he could not say for certain production will stay in the town.

Mr Dyson said: "It is hard to make any prediction of the future. I am very excited about the future in Malmesbury.

"We will have 1,200 people in Malmesbury after the redundancies. That is more than we had four years ago."

The last vacuum cleaner will roll off the production line at 7am on Friday, September 27.

Employees have spoken out after feeling let down by the way they have been treated.

Terence Gilbert, 63, of Wootton Bassett, has worked for the company for seven years and is one of the workers who will be made redundant this week.

He said: "I feel let down and left adrift by the way the company has treated us.

"We have worked very hard to make James Dyson a success. We work 12-hour shifts.

"We feel that the blame has been put on us and it has left a very bitter taste. There are people who have been here since the start who are not very happy."

"Morale in the factory is very, very low at the moment. The washing machine workers are very jittery."

He said Mr Dyson has become more distant to the staff.

"Four years ago James Dyson used to walk round the factory floor and he knew people by name," he said.

"He doesn't do that any more, he now has surrounded himself with managers."

Dyson has shifted vacuum cleaner production to Malaysia in a move that will save cash for the company to invest in research and development.

The redundancies were announced in February and some workers found out about it from the news.

Robin Packer, 42, of London Road, Chippenham, said: "I was told by Trevor McDonald on the ITV news that I was going to be made redundant in February.

"We have been very loyal to Dyson and any changes in working arrangements we have worked with 95 percent of the time.

"I think Mr Dyson has a different agenda to what he has said to us.

"I can see in five years time he will move out of Malaysia and move into China because it will be cheaper.

"It boils down to money and business.

"He has totally let down the local community. He has made promises in the past that he has not been keeping. He makes a lot of money and now he just wants to make more,"

Alan Woodward, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Malmesbury said: "It is a great pity that Dyson is moving manufacture to Malaysia.

"It depends, how many people in Malmesbury will lose their job, but it's bound to have an effect on the community.

"They were reasonably well paid jobs and workers will have to take a pay cut to find work.

"It's good that there is still R&D and call centres at the site, I just hope they keep the washing machine manufacturing there."

Over the last 12 months North Wiltshire has had low levels of unemployment with just 1.6 per cent currently out of work.

Chippenham and Devizes job centres, with support of North Wiltshire District Council, will be holding a jobs fair at the Neeld Hall in Chippenham on Tuesday.

Chippenham job centre's vacancy services manager Ruth Evans said: "We have been working closely with Dyson to help retrain and provide those made redundant with new skills and help to find jobs."