A DEFENCE contractor bidding for a £3bn aircraft carrier contract has urged North-East businesses to get a piece of the action.

Thales Naval managing director Peter Robertson said that while up to 3,000 jobs would be secured for the construction of the ships, there would be a need for many more services.

Mr Robertson said: "There is a massive amount of work involved with the need for a huge amount of fixtures and fittings.

"People will need breakfasts, there will be cleaning work and a wide range of ancillary services will be required."

The 60,000-tonne ships will be the biggest British warships ever built, measuring 950ft.

Mr Robertson said if Thales won the contract, a quarter of the construction jobs would go to North-East firms.

The aircraft carrier will be built in five sections around the UK, with Thales planning to have two sections of each ship built in the region.

Among eight places in the UK that Thales found to have the capability to handle the contract were Swan Hunters, of Tyneside and Teesside, in partnership with Heerema, in Hartlepool, and McNulty Offshore, in South Shields.

He rejected suggestions that officials from the US navy had indicated they would be more comfortable sharing US technology on the vertical take-off stealth Joint Strike Fighter being flown from the carriers with the British BAe Systems than French firm Thales.

Mr Robertson said there was no exchange of military secrets between the British and French and he pointed out that US firm Lockheed Martin was one of the team.

He added: "We are trusted by the military and look after their secrets."

Any businesses interested in taking part in the contract can e-mail northeast.suppliers@north-house.com