CAR workers at a major Rover plant faced an uncertain future today after company bosses warned the strong pound could force the firm to shed more jobs.

But bosses said cuts would not affect Oxford's Cowley plant, where 1,000 extra jobs are being created with the launch of a new executive car.

The latest warning at the firm's Longbridge plant in Birmingham comes two months after Rover announced it was axing 1,500 staff there.

But Cowley recently secured a deal to manufacture Rover's new car, codenamed R40, to replace the 600 and 800 models. The new car will be unveiled at the Motor Show next month.

The spectre of further redundancies at Longbridge was raised after a warning from Bernd Pischetsrieder, head of Rover's parent company BMW.

Speaking at the launch of the Land Rover Discovery at the Paris Motor Show, Mr Pischetsrieder said: "We must differentiate between what's necessary in the short-term and right in the long run.

"But it is clear that short-term measures are required in England."

A Rover spokesman said: "What Mr Pischetsrieder was talking about was that we have already announced 1,500 job reductions, but if the current situation continues we will have to look at measures over and above that."

He added: "We have not announced any jobs are in jeopardy. We are not referring to job cuts in Oxford at all."

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