CAR firm Daewoo axed 90 more jobs at its technical centre yesterday.

Engineers and designers at the Worthing site were told not to return to work on Monday.

It is the third round of redundancies at the plant where are managers are in talks with the Tom Walkinshaw Racing Group over a takeover deal.

The buyer is thought to want to use the Worthing site as its research and design centre.

An announcement could be made by the middle of next week.

A spokeswoman for Daewoo said: "We are still trying to tie up the sale and were trying to get that done before the announcement.

"It was a choice between reducing the workforce so it fitted in with the new buyer or the deal not going through with the centre closing and everybody losing their jobs.

"We have been forced into a corner but it's nobody's fault and certainly not the buyer's.

"If the sale happens next week they're going to be able to start building up the business again in the medium term and hopefully the centre will be restored to its former glory."

One worker who lost his job yesterday said colleagues had hoped they would escape redundancy.

He said: "They told us more people might be being laid off but you hope it's not going to be you. I've stayed with this company through thick and thin hoping there's going to be light at the end of the tunnel but now this."

The cuts will leave 160 workers at the centre which employed 750 people three years ago.

Problems began in 1997 when its South Korean parent company was hit by an economic crisis in Korea.

More than 300 jobs have been shed in three years and last month managing director Jim Mason announced 187 redundancies to devastated staff.

David Fleming, regional officer for the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union said: "It's a disaster. Throughout the whole process we have been fighting long and hard to allow the Worthing centre to remain.

"What has happened appears to ensure the long-term future of the research and development plant in Worthing, however the cost of this has been absolutely appalling and we are just very shocked and very stunned.

"We are angry as there is a wonderful workforce."