TWINS who both joined the assembly line at the Cowley plant on the same day are being honoured for half a century's worth of combined service.

Brothers Jamie and Stuart Molloy, both 41, have become very familiar faces at the factory - despite the fact that people struggle to tell them apart.

They started together on August, 31, 1993 and now both lead teams of workers on the line which assembles a thousand Minis a day.

Despite often passing like ships in the night after opposing day and night shifts, the brothers, who are both from Oxford, describe each-other as best friends.

Oxford Mail:

They even share the same sense of humor and a combined love for Glasgow Rangers Football Club.

Stuart Molloy said: “I joke that I’m the skinny and handsome one.

"But jokes aside there’s not really a big difference between us.

"Our personalities are similar, even our voices sound the same and we support the same football team and have the same hobbies.

"That’s probably why we’re so close as brothers.”

The pair worked together to build cars including Maestro, Montego and Rover 800s and 600s before the BMW takeover and the introduction of the new Mini.

The news comes as more than 80 members of staff were celebrated at Mini’s ‘long services awards’ at the Oxford Belfry Hotel on Friday evening.

Stuart Molloy added: “It’s been a bit of a privilege to work on such an iconic car.

"The Mini has been a massive success ever since the first car came off the line in 1959, but since the new generation was launched the car has really gone from strength to strength.

"It has BMW build quality but with that distinctive and unique Mini twist in how the customer can personalise their car in terms of colour, interior and trim.”

His brother Jamie agrees, saying the pressure to reach perfection has kept them on their toes for the duration of their stint at the plant.

He said: “The best thing about working here is the people.

"Over the years we’ve made a lot of good friends and you get to meet new people all the time.

“There’s no easy job in assembly and so getting to the 25 year mark has been tough but also very rewarding and we’ve learnt so much.

"Under BMW, the Minis we build have very high standards and each year those standards get higher and higher."

Oxford's Mini plant, which celebrated its centenary in 2013, currently employs 4,000 people - up from the 2,400 working there in 2001.

Next year will see the city mark the 60th anniversary of the first Mini, produced in 1959.

Gunther Boehner, director of assembly at the Mini plant, said: “Huge congratulations to Jamie and Stuart on celebrating this fantastic milestone.

"While it can sometimes be a little tricky to tell the two of them apart, it goes without saying that both of them are hugely popular faces here on the factory floor.

"We thank them for their service and wish them many more years of Mini making success.”