Pirelli factories to temporarily halt production

Pirelli will halt production for six days across its Carlisle and Burton-on-Trent sites

A tyre manufacturer is temporarily halting production at its two UK factories, blaming "market conditions" for the move.

Pirelli confirmed it was pausing activity at its plant in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, from Friday and its Carlisle site, in Cumbria, from Sunday. Each plant will be closed for six days.

The BBC understands the stoppage is linked to a cyber attack at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which affected the firm's vehicle production.

A Pirelli spokesman said: "This pause in activity is to align output with prevailing market conditions."

JLR declined to comment.

The factories employ about 1,200 staff, with more than 900 based at the Carlisle site.

Pirelli said the stoppage was a temporary measure and the firm was "fully committed" to its UK operations.

A spokesman added: "Pirelli continues to invest in its local manufacturing and recognises the strategic value of the UK market within its global footprint."

Experts at the Cyber Monitoring Centre estimated the cyber attack at JLR affected 5,000 businesses.

The government last month pledged to underwrite a £1.5bn loan guarantee to JLR, to support the firm's supply chain.

A spokesman for the government said it had "acted swiftly" to provide JLR with cyber security expertise and continued to work with the firm, while keeping "a close eye on the supply chain".

They added: "We recognise JLR's role in supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the country and the company's phased restart is a welcome step for them and their wider supply chain."