Cadbury is axing hundreds of jobs at two of its factories, including its historic home at Bournville in Birmingham. Around 200 jobs will go in the West Midlands.

Some production is being moved thousands of miles to Poland. A factory at Keynsham, between Bristol and Bath, is to close with the whole of the 500-strong workforce made redundant.

Chocolate production from Keynsham will move to both the Bournville factory and the sister factory in Poland, with around £40 million being invested in the Midlands operation.

The firm said the investment would enhance Bournville’s status as a centre of excellence and enable greater efficiencies within the site’s chocolate assortment production.

The company said the changes were needed to achieve “greater supply chain efficiencies”, but unions accused the firm of acting like a “private equity asset stripper”.

Cadbury said it hoped to achieve phased redundancies through voluntary means, adding it was now entering detailed consultation with workers.

But the Unite union said : “In a move which could realise millions in land value, a key UK manufacturing operation is to be exported to Poland.”