IT Firm Hewlett Packard has told more than 1,100 workers they will be sacked next year.

The US-owned multinational dropped the bombshell on workers at sites at Bracknell in Berkshire, where 618 jobs will go, Warrington in Lancashire, at which 483 are for the chop, and Sheffield in South Yorkshire, which will see 23 made redundant.

Other jobs will be hit at firms contracted by the company, bringing the total number affected to 1,124.

The announcement was condemned by union Unite, which met the company yesterday.

Unite said the company's European managers had little autonomy, with the key decisions being made by their bosses in the US.

The company blamed falling demand and reorganisation for the sackings.

Unite national officer Ian Tonks said: "For the last five years HP has been addicted to a culture of job cuts in the UK to such an extent that its highly skilled workforce has little faith in the way the company is being managed and will be going forward.

"Unite will be doing everything possible to mitigate these job losses, which are a hammer blow to the UK IT sector and very distressing for employees in the run-up to Christmas."

He said that at recent talks involving the firm's European Works Council, senior European managers were unable to answer any questions about the future as they could not contact HP US bosses because they were celebrating Thanksgiving.

Warrington Council Labour leader Terry O'Neill said the local authority was aware of the distress the decision would cause and hoped the company would help redundant employees to retrain and to find work elsewhere.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "As well as being devastating for workers hearing this news in the run-up to Christmas, it is a body blow for local economies that need jobs and investment, not more cuts."