Union officials and council leaders in Northumberland meet on Monday to discuss the implications of more than 400 textile job losses.

Clothing firm Dewhirst announced on Friday that it plans to move production from its Ashington plant to Morocco, with the loss of 420 jobs.

Officials from the General Municipal and Boilermakers union (GMB) want Northumberland County Council to put pressure on the government to award uniform contracts to the plant.

The company says lower foreign wage costs and pressure from Marks and Spencer, which it supplies with ladiesware, means it has to move production abroad.

Coalmining community

GMB officials are angry at the move, which they say they will resist.

However, a spokesman said it would be pressing for help in awarding the plant lucrative government clothing contracts for items like army uniforms.

It is the second jobs blow for Northumberland's former coalmining community in a matter of weeks.

In October, 100 jobs were lost at a baby care products factory in neighbouring Cramlington as production was moved to China.

Earlier this year Dewhirst cut 400 jobs at its factory in Sunderland.

More than 5,000 clothing jobs have been lost in the North East over the past four years.

A spokesman for Northumberland County Council said it was hoping to come up with measures which would persuade Dewhirst to stay in Ashington.