Sterling's Brexit hit could force smart meter jobs abroad - union

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's' biggest smart meter maker Landis+Gyr is considering moving some production abroad because of a 20 percent rise in costs, due in part on the pound's fall after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the GMB union said on Thursday.

Almost 300 jobs are at risk at the company's site in Stockport in the north west of England, the union said.

A spokeswoman for Landis+Gyr said it was consulting staff at its manufacturing sites in Stockport and Northfields, in the east Midlands, about "optimising the production costs of its UK smart meters."

The consultation would run until April, she said.

Landis+Gyr would not confirm whether it planned to move any production abroad.

The company has been providing meters for utility companies who have a government led target of offering smart meters to all homes and businesses in the country by 2020.

(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; Editing by Jon Boyle)