MORE than 200 jobs are coming to the Isle of Wight.

Vestas Offshore Wind has announced it is to start producing wind turbine blades again after previously closing a factory on the Island in 2009.

The Danish firm has announced it will be manufacturing the 80m blades for a windfarm in Liverpool Bay and will need 200 skilled workers to make them.

Vestas closed the factory in Newport on the island in 2009, axing 425 jobs which sparked an 18-day sit-in by workers.

Production of the blades is set to start in May at the company's research and development plant at West Medina Mills, near Newport.

Vestas said the blades would be for the project in Liverpool Bay, as well as potential future offshore projects.

A lack of demand for wind turbines was blamed on the factory closure in 2009 which led to the high profile sit in.

Demonstrations were organised across the Isle of Wight and in Southampton in support of the workers who refused to move out of the factory in defiance of their redundancies.

The company opened a research and development facility in 2011, where the new blades have been designed and tested.