Almost half the workers made redundant when car giant MG Rover collapsed earlier this year have now found new jobs.

An average of more than 100 ex-Rover employees have found work every week since the crisis in April, the MG Rover Task Force set up to help regenerate the area said.

A total of 2,346 former staff have found new jobs in the four and half months since the closure of the Longbridge-based company.

A further 1,809 are booked on to training courses, while 74 of the 87 apprentices who were training at the plant when it closed have found alternative placements.

Task force chairman Nick Paul said: "I am delighted to see that excellent progress is being made with getting those people affected by the closure of MG Rover.

"Credit really is due to everybody who has put so much effort towards supporting the companies and people who were rocked by what happened in April.

"With more than 2,000 of the workforce back in employment and a large number deciding to pursue fresh careers, we are in a position to look at other areas, such as encouraging former workers to start up new businesses."

Paul said the West Midlands had fought back well following the shock of the collapse of MG Rover with the loss of around 5,000 jobs.