Ellesmere Port: Vauxhall plant pauses production as demand sags

Carmaker Vauxhall will halt production at its Ellesmere Port plant for six shifts next week, the BBC has learned.

It is understood the temporary shutdown at the Cheshire plant, which employs more than 1,000 people, will start from Monday.

Demand for new cars has fallen sharply during the Covid pandemic, with showrooms closed across Europe.

The company said the shutdown had nothing to do with current talks over the plant’s future.

Stellantis, Vauxhall’s parent company, has been in discussions with the UK government for weeks about the site.

It is thought the firm is seeking financial incentives to make a fully electric car at the factory. But there are fears Stellantis may close it entirely.

Talks are continuing and both sides say they have been productive.

“The Covid pandemic concerns the whole automotive world, causing the new vehicle market to fluctuate,” a Vauxhall spokesperson said.

“From the start of the Covid crisis, we manage our output activity daily, plant by plant, adapting our industrial activity to the automotive market trends and by taking into account the different situations we are facing.”