Almost 300 people are set to lose their jobs at the Mini factory in Cowley following a 40 per cent slump in its UK car sales, it emerged last night.

Managers at the Cowley car production plant told staff that 290 agency workers would be laid off as the firm attempted to “better match market needs with production capabilities”.

The move has left the plant’s estimated 1,410 agency staff waiting anxiously until Thursday, when they are expecting to hear who will be shown the door.

One agency worker, who has worked at the plant for three years, said: “A lot of people are very worried. Most people are thinking why has this got to happen so close to Christmas? This Christmas is going to be horrible for me – the most horrible Christmas I have had in my life.”

Bosses at the plant told staff on Thursday, a day before the plant shutdown for the weekend — the first time it has closed because of a fall in sales since Mini production started at Cowley in 2001.

Agency staff account for 30 per cent of the plant’s 4,700 strong workforce, and another agency worker said: “We were told at a meeting there were going to be substantial job losses. Everyone is scared it may be them.”

A BMW spokesman said there were no current plans to make permanent staff redundant.

The firm also said the Friday late shift would also be scrapped.

Bernard Moss, union convener for the plant, said the shift changes would not affect workers on the yellow weekend shift.

Staff on the blue and red rotas, who work two weeks of early shifts and then two weeks of lates, would work the same number of hours for the same pay, but working times would change.

Late shift workers would find their hours cut from 42 to 37 per week and money cut accordingly, as well as losing out on some lucrative late shift premiums.

He added: “When people are losing their jobs, whether it is one or 100, it’s not good. People are going to be concerned – even the ones that won’t get tapped on the shoulder will be worried about what happens next year.”

News of the job cuts follows Society of Motor Manufacturer figures released earlier this month which showed 1,886 Minis were sold in the UK in October — 40 per cent less than the 3,150 sales in the same month last year.

Two weeks ago BMW also announced the factory would close its doors for nearly a month over Christmas – 11 days more than planned.

BMW spokesman Rebecca Baxter said agency staff leaving the company would work their last shift on Friday, December 5. She added that the plant was still expected to produce the same amount of cars as it did last year.