Hundreds of workers have been told their jobs are under threat at a manufacturing company.

Worthing-based Eurotherm Limited started a three-month consultation with staff on Thursday to discuss relocating much of its manufacturing operation to eastern Europe.

The company, which produces devices to monitor temperature and pressure for industrial and processing plants, employs more than 400 people worldwide and 200 at its headquarters in Faraday Road, Durrington, and manufacturing warehouse nearby.

Company spokesman Steve Devany said: "The cost pressures here are too great. We have no option but to do this.

"A lot of our competition has already moved to eastern Europe or Asia, where costs are much cheaper, and we have to be able to be price competitive.

"Unfortunately, this situation is an unsettling one for our staff but we are trying to be as professional and sympathetic as we can."

He said the company, which was founded in Worthing as Eurotherm Controls in 1965, also intended to move manufacturing operations from France and Germany to eastern Europe.

It would retain some level of manufacturing provision in Worthing, as well as office and administration staff.

It is not yet known how many jobs will be cut and no decision will be made until the end of the 90-day consultation period with staff representatives.

Eurotherm is not the first company in Sussex to off-shore operations in order to reduce costs.

Norwich Union, a major employer in Worthing, has announced plans to move some 2,000 jobs to Asia before 2007.

Last year Lloyds TSB announced it would transfer 65 jobs from Sussex to India, while American Express said it was moving 188 jobs from Burgess Hill to New Delhi.

In October 2004 insurance giant Royal and Sun Alliance, which employs about 1,000 people in Horsham, said it was cutting 1,100 jobs by moving call centre work to India.