Babcock will service Hawks at Valley's jet pilot training school

Last month Babcock Defence Services beat rival defence company Brown & Root and Marshall Aerospace (Brama) - who hold the existing contract - to a new contract to carry out routine service work on Hawk jets.

The 650 civilian workers employed at the base heard last week that 27 jobs would be relocated to the south of England.

However a spokesman for RAF Valley told BBC Wales Online that those jobs would now stay on the island.

"We are delighted with the news that 27 jobs associated with the maintenance of the Adour engines for the Hawk aircraft will remain on the station," he said.

Ynys Mon AM, Ieuan Wyn Jones, also welcomed the news: "From the start I have been in close contact with Babcock, pressing on them to retain all employees at RAF Valley, and we had positive discussions on the future of the workers.

Today's news is good news for Anglesey, especially as we are now facing further job losses...with the threat of losing another 100 jobs at Great Lakes Ynys Mon AM, Ieuan Wyn Jones

"It appears that this was a decision made by the Ministry of Defence and I acted on the workers behalf immediately, by contacting Ministry of Defence officials to argue their case.

"Today's news is good news for Anglesey, especially as we are now facing further job losses in local industry, with the threat of losing another 100 jobs at Great Lakes hanging above us," said the Plaid Cymru AM.

In September Peter Rogers, chief executive of Babcock, said his company's aim was to turn the base, "into a world class operation of which we can all be proud."

The transitional handover period is taking place this month, with the new contract starting in April.

Babcock's �65m five-year contract, with options for a further three years, will involve a full range of aircraft support services.