After 40 years of continuous production, Ford haas confirmed that it is to close the Transit plant in Southampton, along with the associated body panel pressing facility in Dagenham.

The move means a loss of 500 jobs at the Southampton plant  and 900 at Dagenham. The announcement also confirms that they will cease to be build the Transit in the UK by the summer of 2013. Instead production will be consolidated in Ford’s principal European commercial vehicle manufacturing facility operated by Ford Otosan in Kocaelia, Turkey.