Up to 400 jobs are at risk after a bus manufacturer announced plans to move operations to England.

Alexander Dennis, which has factories in Falkirk and Larbert, has said it is considering moving all operations to a site in Scarborough.

The plans would see work at the Falkirk site discontinued, while the Larbert site would be closed after current contracts are completed.

The company, which manufactures single and double decker buses, said the new proposed structure would lower costs and increase efficiency.

Alexander Dennis president and managing director Paul Davies said: “We must take significant action to drive efficiency to allow our operating model to be competitive.

“It is extremely regrettable that as part of this, we must place jobs at potential risk of redundancy and propose to cease manufacturing operations at some of our facilities.”

He said the company, which is now owned by Canadian parent company NFI Group, was extremely proud of its history and legacy in the UK which dates back to 1895.

But he said that change was need to encourage customers to invest in UK-based manufacturing.

He continued: “The stark reality is that current UK policy does not allow for the incentivisation or reward of local content, job retention and creation, nor does it encourage any domestic economic benefit.”

The consultation puts up to 400 roles at Alexander Dennis at potential risk of redundancy, around 22% of the company’s whole workforce.