A STRIKE by thousands of workers at Land Rover brought production to a standstill yesterday.

Union leaders are due to meet today to decide their next move in the industrial action, which crippled production at the Solihull plant in the West Midlands.

The Ford-owned company said no vehicles were built because of the 24-hour strike, which started at 6am, although production at nearby Gaydon, where managers and other white collar staff worked, was not affected.

The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) said there had been solid support for the action, held in protest at a pay offer of 6.5 per cent over two years.

Further strikes are being threatened if the deadlock is not resolved.

Land Rover warned that the strike would put the long-term future of the Solihull plant at risk as it would be increasingly difficult to justify investment.

Land Rover said its final pay offer was significantly above the rate of inflation and other settlements in industry.

The company said Land Rover employees enjoyed benefits including the lowest working time and greatest number of holidays in the UK car industry.

Members of the TGWU, Amicus and the GMB have rejected the two-year pay deal, complaining that they earned up to £25 a week less than workers at Jaguar, which is also owned by Ford.

Noisy crowds assembled behind temporary wire fences at the Solihull factory for the first walkout at the vehicle-maker since 1988, when the firm was part of British Aerospace.