UP to 150 people are to lose their jobs at BAE Systems in Rochester after the company announced a cut in its workforce because of a downturn in orders.

The bulk of the losses are in the firm’s engineering department, although some jobs may be lost in support areas.

The redundancies amount to about 10 per cent of the engineering and support sectors at BAE’s Rochester airport site. Redundant staff will be leaving the base in May and June this year.

The firm, one of the leading avionics companies in Europe, is to consult with staff after announcing the redundancy programme. It employs 2,150 people at Rochester.

The firm has notified the Department of Trade and Industry of a total of 200 redundancies. An additional 50 workers face unemployment at the firm’s Edinburgh site.

Sue Wood, managing director of BAE”s avionics systems division, said: “We deeply regret having to make this announcement. This decision has not been taken lightly, but having considered all other options, we believe it is the correct one in terms of securing the short and long-term health of our business.”