FORD Dunton provides “world beating products” as former employees highlight the importance of the site.

This week it was announced 3,800 jobs across Europe, including 1,300 in the UK, over the next three years will be scrapped.

It is reported that 1,000 of those in the UK will be at the Dunton site in Basildon.

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The Dunton Campus is a major automotive research and development facility located and is the largest automotive technical centre in the UK. 

It first opened in October 1967, and has since gone on to develop all-time favourite vehicles such as the Fiesta XR2, Escort Cosworth and Sierra XR4x4 performance cars, as well as more practical classics such as Ford Granada and Transit models. 

Phil Turner worked as a business manager at Ford Dunton for 37 years up until 2019. He is also a Conservative councillor responsible for the Billericay West ward.

He said he has “fond memories” of working there and stressed the importance of the site.

Mr Turner said: “You can’t even imagine the all the benefits for the whole borough and wider community Ford Dunton has.

“I am devastated Dunton are losing 1,000 job and am concerned for my friends and colleagues to still at Dunton and even in Europe.

"For Basildon as a borough, we need to do everything we can to keep this industry here and convince senior management the benefits of being in Basildon.

“The Ford product is world class, if people forget the badge, it is premium, because of the people that develop and engineer the products.

“It was so wonderful to work at Ford, not just creating and engineering all these professional, world beating, products, but the social side of it.

“I still have very fond memories of it and all the people I met there.”

Arguably one of the most successful models to come out of Ford was the Transit, which first took shape in the design offices and test facilities of Dunton.

It has been the best-selling van in the UK for more than 40 years and also won International Van of the Year in 2007.

A former union boss and current Labour Basildon Councillor has added that these cuts will have an “devastating effect”.

John Scarola, who worked for Ford for 40 years, with 33 of those at Dunton, said he was confident union reps would negotiate to get the “best deal possible” from the car maker.

Mr Scarola said: “I am just devastated by it all.

“The problem is because we are going all electric, it is going to create new jobs in that field but obviously the old jobs will go.

“You’ve got to realise once Ford have made a decision, we have to go into negotiation.

“I am devastated and very disappointed, but the (union reps) we’ve got in place now are very strong people.

“They will negotiate and I’m sure they will get the best deal possible and let’s hope we can persuade Ford that we do have a future here.”