HUNDREDS of job losses were announced yesterday, leading to a union warning that manufacturing was "bleeding to death".

Receivers at shipbuilder Cammell Laird announced a further 187 job losses, but said it remained hopeful of finding buyers for the firm's yards.

Meanwhile, hand-held computer maker Psion said it was to cut 250 jobs, as it faced up to weaker demand in the saturated consumer market.

US computer firm Compaq announced that 4,000 jobs would be cut worldwide in the face of tough market conditions, but said plants in Scotland would not be affected.

And shipworkers at BAe Systems could be balloted for strikes, in opposition to plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs.

Union leaders are meeting today to consider industrial action in protest at a shock decision by BAe to axe jobs, despite winning work to build destroyers for the Royal Navy.

John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "This is turning into one of UK manufacturing's blackest weeks. Manufacturing is bleeding to death in front of our eyes."

The job losses at Cammell Laird will include 95 at Tyneside and 47 at Birkenhead. Cammell's yard on Teesside has been mothballed since PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) was called in earlier this year.

Receiver Ian Stokoe said: "As work nears completion, redundancies are inevitable. There still remains a number of interested parties."

The future is increasingly bleak for the Teesside yard.

However, PWC is paying the remaining staff to act as security guards for a Russian ship that has been in the yard since it was impounded in November.

But repair work has dried up and time is running out for a buyer to be found so the receivers can sell the company as a going concern.