A MONTH-long closure at BMW's Stratton plant begins today.
The German car giant announced last year that it would be bringing its summer maintenance shutdown forward by several months.
They had made the plans when the UK was expected to leave the EU on March 29, the original Brexit date.
BMW said the temporary closure would help reduce any "possible short-term parts-supply disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit".
The firm added:“While we believe this worst case scenario is an unlikely outcome, we have to plan for it.
“We remain committed to our operations in Britain, which is the only country in the world where we manufacture for all three of our automotive brands.”
Last month, BMW board director Peter Schwarzenbauer said a no-deal Brexit would be a "danger" to production of the Mini at its Oxford plant.
The Stratton plant makes body panels for the cars.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here