Jobs 'affected' at Zurich Swindon

Zurich is a major sponsor of rugby

A total of 45 jobs in Wiltshire are affected by insurance group Zurich's plans to integrate its Swindon data centre with operations in Switzerland.

A consultation has begun to decide whether affected staff will move to the continent.

The move is aimed at saving money.

In a statement, the company said: "We will be working with our employees on the plans for the migration, which is subject to regulatory approvals.

"The consolidation of the data centres is an important part of the global IT strategy announced in May, which aims to consolidate IT services throughout the company and to manage them in a cost-efficient way."

Zurich made a $3.4bn (£2.1bn) loss in 2002.

In September of that year, it announced a restructuring programme with the expected loss of 4,500 jobs .

The company employs 68,000 people worldwide.