Diggers kick off work at Jaguar Land Rover site

Work at the £355 million Jaguar Land Rover engine plant in South Staffordshire was beginning today as diggers moved on site.

JLR has begun its own preparations at the i54, with bosses hoping to break ground on the building work within weeks.

Council leaders from Staffordshire and Wolverhampton today welcomed the arrival of the diggers.

South Staffordshire Council leader Brian Edwards said it was "fantastic news".

"There is an exciting future ahead for the i54 South Staffordshire site and I'm proud of the role the three local councils have played in making today possible," he added.

Once completed, the plant – which will create 750 new jobs – will join aerospace giants Moog and scientific research company Eurofins on the site, which sits on the Staffordshire-Wolverhampton border.

Building work is expected to take more than a year, with the company aiming to be ready for business by 2014.

Staffordshire County Council bosses said work on a £36.7m link road from the M54 motorway to the i54 would begin in October.