Oil giant Shell has revealed it is cutting 475 jobs in the North Sea.

The company blamed falling oil prices as it announced it was cutting another 2,200 jobs worldwide.

Union Unite warned that if the current rate of jobs attrition in the oil and gas sector continues, there will be "no viable North Sea oil industry within a decade"

Around 150 jobs a day have been lost since the oil barrel price started declining, with Shell announcing 12,000 job losses in the last 18 months.

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Unite's John Boland said: "We have very real fears that Shell cannot continue to operate safely offshore if it keep shedding the workers tasked with ensuring our oil industry is safe and sustainable.

"The Offshore Coordinating Group (OCG), of which we are members, has called time and again for an oil and gas sector summit to be convened urgently.  So far the call has fallen on deaf ears but both the Scottish and Westminster governments must wake up to what is happening to this vital sector. They cannot stand-by while a vital industry's demise takes place on their watch.

"Oil companies must drop the attrition strategy - stop cutting jobs and attacking workers' terms and conditions.  It is time to take stock because this industry is heading to a situation whereby it will have lost the very skilled and experienced workers it will need to deal with the upturn."

(LM/CD)