MP's plea in crisis

City MP Mike Foster gave the grim assessment in crunch talks with Ms Hewitt, who is expected to receive a crucial report on the merger of GUS Home Shopping and March UK next week.

Unions and Mr Foster have warned 2,406 jobs could go at the head office, warehouses and depots of Reality - owned by Gus - in Worcester if the deal is blocked.

A further 468 jobs could go at the distribution centre in Droitwich.

Mr Foster told Ms Hewitt the prospect of losing so many jobs was worse for the city than the threatened closure of Rover's Longbridge plant in 1998, which would have left 14,000 on the dole.

Mr Foster said that in terms of population - it would deal Worcester a bigger blow.

Longbridge was saved after the Prime Minister became personally involved in the crisis.

Ms Hewitt is due to receive a Competition Commission report on the merger by December 23. She will then decide whether the £450m deal would be bad for competition.

"Obviously I would like to see the Competition Commission approve the merger between GUS and March UK because that's the best way that the trade unions and the company say jobs can be kept in Worcester," said Mr Foster.

"It is such an important company for Worcester that it was very important to let Patricia Hewitt know just how crucial this decision is to us."

Ms Hewitt told Mr Foster she could not give any indication of the verdict.

But she said because of the uncertainty and the fact there were so many jobs at stake, she would announce a decision as quickly as possible.

March UK, which owns Littlewoods, believes merging its current operations with those of Gus Home Shopping - which it bought in May - would give the company a better chance of fighting off competition from the internet and new rivals, such as Next.

It is feared that, if the merger is blocked, they will struggle badly and jobs will be axed.