EAST Lancashire MP Nigel Evans is to visit the BAE Systems plant in Samlesbury to find out the likely impact of the sale of part of the company on the workforce there.

Unions fear that up to 400 jobs could be lost if the firm goes ahead with the disposal of its Aerostructures business based in Prestwick, Scotland.

More than 350 people are directly employed at the 3,500-strong site between Blackburn and 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 and in suppliers throughout East Lancashire. Mr Evans, whose Ribble Valley constituency Samlesbury is sited, shares those fears.

Last week he met union convenor Neil Sheenan, who was in London to discuss the proposal with new BAE chief executive Mike Turner.

Now he has arranged to go to the plant on Monday, November 11 to meet with plant manager Steve Warlock and the unions.

Mr Evans said: "I am very concerned about this proposal. First of all there is the question of whether the sell-off may cost jobs at Samlesbury.

"Secondly, I fear that this could be being used as a smokescreen to try and outsource more manufacturing work away from East Lancashire. And thirdly it could have an effect on the aerospace industry in East Lancashire, which supply BAE."

BAE is looking for a buyer for Aerostructures which employs 1,000 in Scotland but stresses that only a few of the Samlesbury workforce are employed by Aerostructures.

The vast majority of the people employed there work on military aircraft such as Eurofighter and the Joint Strike Fighter.

Mr Turner has said that the company no longer regards Aerostructures as part of this "core business" but the unions are very unhappy at the sudden announcement early this month of the sale plan without any consultation.