A Government grant of £1.9m has been given to Vauxhall towards a £15m press shop installation to build body parts at its Ellesmere Port car plant.

It is hoped the grant will help to safeguard the longer-term future of the manufacturing operation.

A Vauxhall spokesman said the grant ‘will secure jobs that might have been at risk and could lead to some additional employment’.

Ellesmere Port is one of the largest employers in Cheshire and Wirral employing 4,000 workers. It makes nearly 185,000 vehicles a year, half of which are exported.