Mr Mann is gearing up for the end of his Longbridge career

But as the families of other staff call for renewed efforts to rekindle a rescue deal, he tells BBC News why he just wants to return to his old job as an HGV driver after 14 years at Longbridge.

I live in West Heath, right round the corner from Longbridge. Since last week's news, the atmosphere in this neighbourhood has been all doom, gloom and despondence. But I just want to get on with my life. I have to pay the mortgage and feed the family.

I am expecting to receive a redundancy payment of about �4,500. Five years ago when BMW was in control, I could have taken �27,000. I stayed because I thought my future was with the company. I have earned more than that since. I've had five years pay out of it so cannot be too ungrateful.

I had expected to stay at MG Rover until I retired. Most people were of the same mind. In recent years we have all had the chance to apply for redundancy and leave the company, but most people have stayed.

I would rather this hadn't happened, but it has not been a surprise. MG Rover needed more support. We didn't have many people on our side. Just look at the police. If you go to Paris or Munich, you see them in locally-made cars.

Smashing windows

For the past four years, I have been working as a test engineer in body and test development, earning �26,000 a year. I worked in an area known as the Flight Shed with four colleagues. Probably only one of them expects to continue working in the car industry.

You can sit in the office and write a CV or make your way home.

You have to give the Phoenix directors a little bit of credit as they've run the company for five years since BMW. You see stories about them supposedly lining their pockets, but I find it hard to believe they spent five years in business deliberately waiting for it to fail.

I have heard people say they are going to find out where the directors live and smash their window, but that's just silly.

We all realised MG Rover was struggling and needed a partner, and after BMW there were talks of deals. When the Shanghai interest was announced, it was felt good days were just around the corner.

In recent months the feeling has been that this does not seem to be going anywhere. We realised it was not going to happen. It was just taking too long. Even if new cars came out of the Shanghai deal, it would be next year before they hit the road.

Daily briefings

I went in to work on Friday for a meeting after hearing the news. From that point onwards, that's what I've been doing each day.

Workers have been turning up for daily meetings

We don't do any work. I get in about 0830 and stay for two hours. My manager attends a meeting with a director of the department and the briefing is dribbled down to us. I check my e-mails for news from the administrators.

You can sit in the office and write a CV, or make your way home. That's what I do.

If MG Rover has any sort of future, it would be a shadow of its former self. As a company, it can possibly continue making just MGs. But I'm not going to be there. I've already made up my mind, but I can't do anything officially until we hear about redundancy terms.

There's talk this could go on for weeks with more government help, but I wish they would just make the announcement everyone knows is coming.

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I have got the sack all because of lack of business sense. Its not on. They should have seen this coming.
Jacob Burns, West Heath England

I work for Phoenix Venture Motors, and I still feel there is some hope for MG Rover. At this moment in time I remain positive and support this strong MG Rover brand which needs to be saved, either by the government or by a buyer.
Alan Bale , Coventry, England

I hate to admit it, but this is the end of production at Longbridge. I've worked as an engineer at Longbridge for eleven years but don't see a future in manufacturing in this country.

It's very sad to see so many at a loss as to what to do with their lives. For me, I'm trying to be positive and am looking at it as a chance to change direction.

I am going to apply to university to take a teaching qualification; my engineering skills have to be of some use to somebody.
John, Longbridge, UK

I have worked at Rover since the days of Austin, 21 years ago. I am now 40 years old.

I never thought it would come to an end like this, so quick, almost overnight. I have put my heart and soul into this company and I feel betrayed by the directors in charge.

Had they given us and the government six months' notice that things were going pear-shaped, at least that would have given everyone time to act, even if it meant mass redundancies.

I just feel this was their master plan that has gone miserably wrong. The Chinese are honourable people. I'm sure they will not talk to MG Rover again while these 'four horsemen of the apocalypse' are in charge.

As for my future, I have just put my house up for sale. Yes I'm already looking for work, but with so many suppliers laying people off it will be very hard to find a job in this area with the same skills.

I am a quality engineer (still), but for how long?

It may be for the best to pick a new career as it seems that this one is dead. Maybe I will clean windows or cut grass. What a waste.
Dave Shortt, Bromsgrove