The last television manufacturing plant in Britain is to close with the loss of 300 jobs.

JVC announced yesterday it was shutting down the operation in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, as production in countries such as Poland and Slovakia becomes more attractive for labour costs.

The closure means there will be no television manufacturing left in either the UK or the US as production has been switched to cheaper economies in Mexico, India and eastern Europe.

JVC plans to close the Lanarkshire plant by the end of July, blaming a fall in profits as the price of flat-screen televisions fell rapidly in recent years.

The announcement stunned workers and union officials who believed they were in the middle of pay negotiations, unaware a decision was being taken to close the factory.

Jimmy Farrelly, organiser with the union Unite, which represents many of the staff, said: "We spoke with the company recently to discuss wages and conditions and no indication was given about the possibility of job losses or closure.

"This has come as a complete shock to the workers. It is very disappointing. We will be meeting with local politicians and asking the Scottish Government to assist."

The closure announcement spells the end of the industry in the UK. Last year, Sony closed its plant in Bridgend in Wales, to concentrate on Slovakia while Orion Electric also closed a plant in Wales and moved to Poland.

Since the 1980s, television plants in the US were closing until the last one, owned by Zenith, eventually shut up shop in Missouri. Cheaper costs in Mexico made it more profitable to move south.

Stunned workers left the Lanarkshire factory yesterday just hours after the devastating news was delivered at a mass meeting on site.

James Muldoon, 41, a production-line worker and his wife, Nicky, both depend on the factory for their income.

James said: " I have been here for six years and my wife works as a cleaner here. I don't know what we are going to do now. There are a lot of families who work here, husband and wife and even sons and daughters. It is going to hit this area hard."

Catherine Robertson,a team leader at the plant, said the news had devastated the workforce. She said: "People are still in a state of shock. We all need to think carefully about the future."

Lorraine Warnock, 28, has known no other job other than at JVC. She said: "All the jobs in this type of industry have either gone or are going, but it is all we have known. I will need to look for a different type of job, but you can't just walk into one."

In a statement JVC said: "The East Kilbride facility served as a cathode-ray tube and liquid crystal display television production facility since establishment in 1987 to manufacture televisions for the UK and European markets.

"The rapid shift, however, from CRTs to flat-panel display in the market over the past several years led to a drastic fall in product prices.

"JVC was forced to conclude that it would be difficult to continue production within the UK due to the resulting impact on profits. Other factors behind the decision to halt production include the fall to about 25% of products sold within the UK, and the development of production infrastructure for electronics products in eastern Europe."

Gerry Watt chief executive of trade body Electronics Scotland, said it was sad but not surprising.

He said: "The end of the market we are dealing with operates on a narrow margin. It is not sustainable in western Europe or the US. If you follow the life cycle of a product like flat screen TVs. They were premium goods at premium prices then the price falls.

"Once you have reduced material costs you are then looking at labour and fuel costs."