The owner of Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed it will invest £4 billion in a new gigafactory in Somerset - as the group behind the West Midlands Gigafactory still searches for investment.

Tata's facility would be the largest in Europe and would create around 4,000 jobs, supplying batteries to JLR's electric vehicle range.

The 40Gwh battery factory is expected to be operational from 2026 and also supply other manufacturers.

Negotiations for financial support for the factory from the government have been ongoing.

N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Sons, said: "I am delighted to announce the Tata Group will be setting up one of Europe's largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK. Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector's transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, JLR.

"With this strategic investment, the Tata Group further strengthens its commitment to the UK, alongside our many companies operating here across technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals, and automotive.

"I also want to thank His Majesty's Government, which has worked so closely with us to enable this investment."

The news comes as Coventry City Council announced it would spend a further £500,000 to find an investor for the gigafactory at Coventry Airport.

Plans for the huge battery factory in Baginton were announced in 2021 as a joint venture between the council and the airport's owners.

The council has so far spent £1.75 million on the project including half a million last year to make the site ready for development and market it to investors.

Gigafactories have been billed as necessary to secure car industry jobs in the UK, including around 40,000 in the Coventry and Warwickshire region.

But 12 months on, no investors for the project have been announced, with Tata uninterested in the site near JLR's Gaydon base.

Earlier this year, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street told the BBC there were "technical aspects" of the Coventry site that didn't meet the company's specification.