A £1 MILLION campaign to safeguard jobs in the carpet industry has been announced.

The Kidderminster-based Carpet Foundation, which represents leading manufacturers, is launching an autumn advertising campaign urging consumers to buy British.

It has awarded its £1 million advertising account to Birmingham-based WT as the industry battles to overcome the influx of cheap imported carpet, which has put some 5,000 jobs in Wyre Forest at risk.

The message will be to buy more carpet and to use certain outlets.

Carpet Foundation chief executive Mike Hardiman said: "This is the single biggest initiative the carpet industry has ever mounted."