‘It’s bad for the town and the economy’

The Adver asked people in Dorcan to give their views.

According to Paul Murphy, 51, this will affect more than the 3,500 people that work at the South Marston plant, as Honda has a large local supple chain.

He said: “You have got all the infrastructure around, people who do food, people who do cleaning, it’s wider than 3,500 people, it’s probably double.

“The effect will ripple through the town.

“I don’t think it’s because of Brexit.”

Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson echoed that view saying that Honda will shut its Swindon car plant due to “global trends” and not Brexit.

Cole Heard, 51, had no idea that Honda was planning to leave town. He said: “It will affect the town. Thousands of people will lose their jobs.

“It might be because of Brexit but to be honest, I’m just sick of what’s happening now.”

Wakilat Oshodi, 34, told the Adver how terrible the news is for Swindon and the people working there.

“One that I do know is that there are so many people living in Swindon and working in Honda, and if the factory closes, there’s going to be a lot of people losing their jobs.

“So, to be fair it’s going to affect them all, because they’ll have to start looking for a new job.”

One woman, 59, who did not want to be named, said: “With Honda going, it will be really bad for the economy.

“I don’t know anyone working there but I know a lot of people in Swindon are and it’s terrible.”

A 70-year-old, who did not want to give his name, added: “It’s really sad. There will be a massive effect on the town because they are probably one of the biggest employers in the area, if not the biggest.”

But he was not surprised, saying: “Over the years, they already said they wanted to close their factory in Swindon, and I knew they were going to leave the town, because they wanted to go to Europe.

“I know a couple of people working at Honda and it’s really sad.”

The Japanese manufacturer has its only EU factory in Swindon. More than 100,000 Honda Civics are built there each year.