Vauxhall car plant shuts

Vauxhall moved production to Luton in 1905

The last car to be made at the Vauxhall factory in Bedfordshire rolls off the production line on Thursday.

It marks the end of almost a hundred years of car production at the plant in Luton.

Maintenance worker, Pete Mangan, arriving for his last shift at the plant, said: "It's a terrible day. There's a lot of history here and it's all gone."

Barry Pattni, who runs a newspaper kiosk outside the main gates, said: "It's all very sad. You get to know the people very well here and a lot of them have been working here for many years.

'Emotional time'

"A lot of the older people don't want to retire and you feel for them.

A Vauxhall spokesman said managers also felt the sadness and emotion of the day.

A decoy lorry leaves the works during wartime
	Vauxhall The plant moved from London to Luton in 1905 About 1,000 workers have transferred to the IBC van plant More than seven million cars have been built at Luton For more:  'Devastating' blow to community

Many of them have been here all their lives and have worked their way up through the ranks and they feel it just the same. It's an emotional time."

General Motors - which owns Vauxhall - announced two years ago the factory would close because of a fall in demand for the Vectra model.

About 1,000 workers have transferred to the nearby IBC van plant, which is owned by Vauxhall's parent firm, General Motors.

Margaret Moran, Labour MP for Luton South, said it was a day of "great emotion" for the town.

"It is obviously a very difficult time for the people of Luton as we witness the closure of a plant that has been at the centre of life in Luton since 1905.

Heritage collection

"I am proud of the great amount of professionalism, dignity and dedication that the employees have shown throughout this traumatic time.

"The workers' willingness to retrain and explore different job options has been admirable."

A total of 7,415,045 cars will have been built at Luton when the final vehicle is completed.

The last car to be built, a metallic silver Vectra, will join a heritage collection of Vauxhall vehicles at a centre in Luton.

The future of the huge site is still uncertain.