MORE than a thousand workers at BAE SYSTEMS' Samlesbury factory staged a lightning walkout after one of their colleagues was sacked for Internet abuse.

They staged a mass meeting in support of the unnamed worker and trade unions at the site are demanding his immediate reinstatement.

The man,thought to have worked at BAE for 25 years, has appealed against his dismissal and is being supported by the Transport and General Workers' Union.

A union spokesman confirmed that the dismissal of one of its members had prompted the mass walkout by about 1,200 night shift staff, who were working on the Eurofighter Typhoon, on Tuesday.

The spokesman would not comment on the nature of the misuse of the Internet, but confirmed the union would be representing the worker, believed to be from Preston, at an appeal hearing which is expected to take place before the end of the week.

"In all honesty, we are hoping it will all be resolved in the next couple of days," he said. "There is a strong feeling on the shop floor that the individual should be reinstated."

Millions of pounds have been invested in production facilities at Samlesbury, which are among the most technologically advanced in the world. Many workers have access to the Internet through the company's own IT systems, but its use is strictly controlled.

A spokesman for BAE SYSTEMS said he could not speak about the details surrounding the man's dismissal, but confirmed it had been for "abuse of the IT systems."

"An appeals hearing will be held over the next few days, " he said. "We are hopeful the matter can be dealt with by the end of the week."