The news came as a redundancy response team said it had found jobs for over half the workforce.

The team, made up of local enterprise groups and other organisations, was set up when Mitsubishi announced it would close the video recorder production plant in April with the loss of 280 jobs.

Over 140 staff have found other jobs

As many as 140 have already found alternative employment, while a number have transferred to the nearby Mitsubishi Air Conditioner manufacturing plant.

At least 12 companies have signed up for a jobs fair at the West Lothian plant in an effort to find work for the remaining staff.

Companies like Motorola - currently seeking to recruit 1600 people - have agreed to visit the Livingston site for a recruitment fair on Tuesday.

A similar group has been established to help workers being made redundant at the Continental Tyres plant in Newbridge, near Edinburgh.

That group has been co-ordinated by Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Ltd (Leel) and comprises the Edinburgh City Council, the Employment Service, Locate in Scotland, Continental Tyres and workers themselves.

Leel's Director of Projects Paul Lewis said: "The job losses involved in a closure of this scale are a major concern."