Union leaders and bosses at the Cowley Mini plant are still locked in talks over shift patterns as the latest slump in sales was unveiled.

UK sales of the Mini fell by almost 35 per cent last month, figures released by the by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed.

Meetings between union officials and management have been ongoing for a week amidst rumours that the plant’s weekend shift is under threat which would prompt further redundancies.

Plant spokesman Rebecca Baxter said: “We are still in discussions with union representatives and no decisions have been reached. It is an ongoing discussion and there is no deadline.”

The SMMT statistics show 1,638 cars were sold in January compared to 2,516 for the same month last year, a drop of 34.9 per cent compared to the overall average of 30.9 per cent.

The rate of decline has increased since December when it was 32.6 per cent down, although it is not as severe as November when they tumbled 58 per cent.

Ms Baxter added: “Due to the current economic climate, January has proved a challenging month for car sales.

“Both BMW and MINI sales in the UK reflect this downturn finishing the month 40 per cent and 35 per cent down respectively. These results are in line with other premium sector manufacturers.”