Fresh questions over the security of hundreds of jobs at Nissan’s Sunderland plant will be raised after the Japanese car maker reportedly made plans to stop selling diesel cars in Europe.

The car maker will not put diesel engines in future models of its car as it adapts to a sharp decline in diesel vehicle sales, reports from Japan have indicated.

Nissan already revealed last month that it would lay off employees at the UK’s largest car-making plant, but it was understood that the job cuts would affect less than 10pc of the 7,000-strong workforce.

Around a quarter of the Sunderland plant’s output is diesel-powered cars. The plans to stop selling such vehicles in Europe altogether could put even more of the jobs at the factory in the North East of England under pressure.