DIGGER giant JCB has extended consultation with workers at risk of redundancy so bosses can review the firm's order book.

A 90-day consultation on proposed cuts at Rocester was due to come to an end last week, but has now been extended to April 30.

The manufacturer announced proposals to axe 196 shopfloor positions in November.

Its World Headquarters in Rocester was earmarked for almost 150 of the cuts, with the balance at JCB Utility Products, Cheadle, and factories in Rugeley and Wrexham.

A shorter consultation period at Cheadle finished earlier this month, but JCB refused to reveal the final number of redundancies there.

A spokesman for JCB, which employs about 4,000 people in Staffordshire, said: "We can confirm the consultation period at the Rocester site will continue until April 30, so we can form a better view of the forward order book situation into the summer period.

"JCB aims to minimise the impact of redundancy by offering voluntary redundancy to employees, while being mindful of skills the company might need to retain to meet future customer requirements."