The centre was the biggest private employer in Pembrokeshire

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Nick Ainger said other potential employers were also interested in the Pembroke Dock centre.

Economic Development Minister Andrew Davies told the Welsh Assembly on Thursday that all efforts were being made to attract new business to the facility.

The search for a new client was already under way some time before ITV Digital finally closed down on Wednesday.

Mr Ainger added: "We are in a growing business in terms of customer contact - there are a number of clients expressing real interest in establishing their base at Pembroke Dock.

Nick Ainger says many employers are interested

Mr Ainger said his information was based on a conversation he had had late on Wednesday night.

The economic impact of the collapse of ITV Digital on west Wales was discussed in the Welsh Assembly on Thursday.

Economic Development Minister Andrew Davies told members that an action group had been set up to attract new jobs to Pembroke Dock.

He said the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) had been asked to appoint a project director to work closely with the action group.

"The Welsh Assembly Government and its partners are doing everything possible to tackle this major job loss in Pembrokeshire," he said.

"We have the services and support, the contacts and the marketing; and the vital element is to co-ordinate them."

The jobs affected include 900 customer service representatives and around 150 managerial and technical support staff.

Employment agency Manpower, which employed the frontline call centre staff, has set up a temporary job centre at the site to help them look for alternative work.

Andrew Davies will play a personal role

It said everyone would be paid their full period of notice, which ranged from a week to a month.

The call centre, which was developed with Welsh Development Agency grant aid to counter the flow of jobs out of west Wales, was the biggest private employer in Pembrokeshire.

ITV Digital, launched as ONdigital in 1998, had always struggled to compete with satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

The crisis came to a head when ITV Digital said it could not afford to pay the remaining �178.5m it owed the Football League for a three-year broadcast rights deal.

Its owners - Carlton and Granada - deny any liability for the company's debts.

The company had more than a million subscribers, although it was reported to be losing 4,000 customers a day in its final weeks.