UP TO 198 jobs are under threat after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer today revealed it wants to relocate its Eastleigh base out of Hampshire.

Staff face three months of uncertainty while the company - famous for products like children's pain relief medicine Calpol - consults them over the recommended move.

After receiving feedback, Pfizer will decide whether to centralise consumer healthcare

operations more than 75 miles away at its commercial headquarters in Walton Oaks, near Tadworth, in Surrey.

A spokesman for the company strongly denied the idea behind the plan was to shed jobs through the back door.

However, many employees at the company's offices in Chestnut Avenue, Eastleigh, may be reluctant or unable to commute 150 miles a day.

Also, house prices are higher in Surrey than south Hampshire.

Workers at Eastleigh make over-the-counter medicines and other health-related and personal care products.

In a statement released to the Daily Echo today, Andy Rush, the vice president of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, tried to allay worries.

He said: "While this is an exciting time for our business and presents a major opportunity, I would like to reassure all our staff and their families that we are committed to listening to, and addressing, any concerns they may have."

All staff will be invited to make the move, with full

support provided to minimise disruption to both them and their families, the statement added.

Currently more than 550 people work at the company's new UK headquarters at Walton Oaks.

According to Pfizer, that site has state-of-the-art facilities and an "exceptional working environment".

The relocation would also provide the opportunity to share expertise with other parts of the healthcare business, such as Pfizer Group Pharmaceuticals.

"A final decision will be announced once the consultation period has been completed," said the spokesman.