More manufacturing companies are being hunted for Furness and South Lakeland to allow young people to do what is "in their blood", according to the local MP.

John Hutton, who is secretary of state for business as well as representing Barrow and Furness, made the comments on a visit to Resource Marketing in Ulverston, reported the North West Evening Mail.

"Years ago, people were leaving school in Barrow with manufacturing in their blood," Mr Hutton said, adding that he wanted to make sure these options were still available to young people.

Currently, defence company BAE Systems employs several hundred people at its Barrow shipyards.

Resource marketing managing director George Colquhoun said his company had also invested in people in the area.

The nuclear sector in Furness had a good future within the energy generation supply chain, he added.

Barrow-based BAE Systems was one of the firms supporting a Westinghouse bid to build AP1000 nuclear reactors in the UK.

The deal could bring £5 billion to the region, according to media reports.