UNIONS fear up to 2,000 jobs could be axed from aerospace giant BAE Systems after the group announced cuts in its defence division.

The company warned that staffing levels were being reviewed because orders for its Hawk training aircraft and business from the Ministry of Defence were lower than expected.

Cuts are expected across the country, but unions believe most of the job losses will hit the BAE plant at Brough, near Hull, which employs 3,000 workers.

The company said no decisions had been made about how many jobs would be lost during the restructuring but it hoped the cuts could be achieved through voluntary redundancies and transfer to other divisions.

Union officials said they feared up to 2,000 jobs could be axed, with the factories at Brough and at Woodford in Greater Manchester hit hardest.

Roger Lyons, general secretary of the Manufacturing Science and Finance union, said the announcement had come as a shock.

"This is a potential disaster for workers at Brough and for the community in Hull. We will do all we can in urgent meetings with the company to reduce the redundancies.

"We are pleased to hear that the company is intent on achieving the reductions through voluntary redundancies, but that is scant relief to the communities affected."

Sir Ken Jackson, general secretary of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, said: "The company has given a commitment of avoiding compulsory redundancies and we expect them to honour that."

Union leaders will meet BAE officials in London today for talks on the cuts