Car giant Jaguar Land Rover has started recruiting for the first phase of 1,700 new jobs to support production of new vehicles.

The company said 500 production staff will be taken on as part of expansion plans at its factory in Solihull, West Midlands.

The carmaker is investing £1.5 billion in the UK and plans to increase its workforce at Solihull to almost 8,000.

Alan Volkaerts, operations director at Jaguar Land Rover, said: "Our recruitment drive reinforces our commitment to the UK automotive industry which also benefits the wider supply chain and overall UK economy."