Engineering jobs are threatened

Sir James was recently named the richest man in the region

Some 18 staff could lose their jobs at the Dyson company in Malmesbury.

The company is considering making cuts in its test department because it says much of the preparation and support work is now done in the Far East.

In 2002, 600 workers lost their jobs when the company moved manufacturing from Wiltshire to Malaysia.

Sir James Dyson was named the richest man in the region recently although his family fortune had dropped by £320m in the last year.

In a statement, the company said: "Malmesbury is our growing ideas and engineering base. Our engineers and scientists research new technologies and invent here.

"For the past five years production preparation and support has increasingly happened close to production in the Far East. This proposal reflects that model."

Sir James, a former art school student, once said: "Success teaches you nothing. Failures teach you everything. Making mistakes is the most important thing you can do."