MANUFACTURING jobs in the North-West are falling, new figures reveal.

Despite an overall increase in employment in the region, the manufacturing sector is still in slump.

The Liberal Democrats have revealed figures from the government's Labour Market Statistics, published this month.

They show that in June 1997, after Tony Blairs first General Eelection landslide, there were 535,000 manufacturing jobs in the North West.

That fell to 487,000 in June 2001 and by June this year the figure had fallen to 466,000.

This is despite an overall increase in jobs in the North-West from 2,599,000 in June 1997 to 2,829,000 in June 2002.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Work Paul Holmes said: "Jobs in manufacturing are being lost hand over fist, yet the government is doing little to help the situation.

"The UK is experiencing the longest manufacturing recession since the war and the worst trade deficit since official records were first kept in 1697.

"These figures underline the widening gap between manufacturing and the buoyant service sector.

"The government now needs to grasp the nettle and begin to deal with the increasing number of small scale factory closures which have just as detrimental an effect on local communities as those that make the national headlines.''