Ford Motor Company has announced plans to close its engine plant in Bridgend, Wales in the fall of 2020, with 1,700 jobs on the line.

The BBC said union officials at the plant learned about the plans after meeting with company bosses on Thursday. The broadcaster said workers were sent home after receiving a letter that explained that their jobs would be phased out starting in September 2020. Some workers will be relocated, the company said.

Ford blamed "changing customer demand and cost" and said the United Kingdom's pending exit from the European Union was not a factor.

Stuart Rowley, president of Ford of Europe, said in a statement that creating a sustainable enterprise forced the company to make "difficult decisions".