The government has promised to "do everything it can" to help Westland Helicopters after the company announced 950 job losses.

Westland announced last week that it is closing its plant at Weston-super-Mare with the loss of 350 jobs last week, with another 600 going at the firm's main factory at Yeovil.

Employment relations minister, Alan Johnson, said the government would "strive to keep" the manufacturing business alive.

"We will do everything we can to help the company get through its current difficulties.

"It is an important manufacturing base that we should strive to keep."

Liberal Democrat Brian Cotter (Weston-super-Mare) raised the issue in the Commons by appealing for the government's help.

He told MPs: "We, in Weston-super-Mare, are going to lose a manufacturing facility of high quality."

He asked the government to "seriously consider" helping the ailing company "because once we lose this facility we have lost it altogether".