ONE of the county's most famous employers has responded to rumours it has furloughed its staff until the autumn.

Morgan Motor Company, based in Malvern, clarified their position after whispers they had furloughed a large number of staff.

The company admitted a small number of staff remained on furlough but said it was being their summer shutdown, which happens every year, had been 'extended.'

A company spokesman said: "We currently have a small number of our production staff on furlough as part of an extended summer shutdown that took place the week of July 26.

"We have taken this decision due to a number of factors including recent occurrences of staff having to self-isolate, along with worsening supply chain shortages and numerous other disruptions as a result of Covid-19.

"As with many businesses, we are continuing to navigate the challenging operating conditions presented by the pandemic to ensure the long term prosperity of the company.

"We have remained at full production throughout this year, including during the period of lockdown at the start of the year.

"Again similarly to many other businesses, we will continue to use the furlough scheme for its designed purpose to retain jobs and protect the long term business."

The spokesman added Morgan Motor Company is planning to continue investing in more facilities and better experiences.

They said: "There is some great news coming out of Pickersleigh Road recently with the announcement of a new special edition model, the Plus Four CX-T.

"We have further have plans for more announcements this year as well.

"Additionally to this we are continuing significant investment in our experiential area of the business with new facilities such as the Morgan Experience Centre, which continues to attract visitors to the local area."

The Morgan Experience Centre is now open every week day and Saturday and a series of themed events at the centre named Meet at Morgan will be going ahead in the coming months.

For more information, go to www.morgan-motor.com/