THE area's MPs have joined forces to back trade unions in retaining more than 400 jobs at risk in the BAE Aerostructures business at Samlesbury.

Labour MPs Mark Hendrick, representative for Preston, and South Ribble MP, David Borrow, met with the joint shop stewards committee and union convenor Neil Sheehan at the plant to discuss the campaign to retain jobs after the company revealed it was considering disposing of its Aerostructures business.

The elected representatives, along with Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle, have also requested a meeting with the company's chief executive Mike Turner in a bid to avert the job losses.

Mr Hendrick said: "Selling a very profitable business is like selling the kitchen silver -- you just don't do it.

"It is essential that we maintain manufacturing in the Preston area if we are to continue to proposer and retain jobs.

"The workforce has turned Aerostructures around and turned it into a success.

"Any attempt to sell-off the business would be a slap in the face for our Aerospace workers."

While flagging the meeting as "constructive" Mr Borrow fears the sell-off plans are just the tip of the iceberg. "It is my fear that BAE wants to get out of civil production altogether and may be considering selling off their stake in Airbus," he said.

The 'save the jobs' campaign has also been taken up by Conservative Ribble Valley and Fulwood MP Nigel Evans, whose constituency includes Samlesbury. He plans to visit the plant separately on Monday, November 11, to meet with plant manager Steve Warlock and the unions.

More than 350 people are directly employed at the 3,500-strong site near Preston. They make components for the airbus passenger jet and the engineering union believes the sell-off could cost those jobs and others at the site.