Leading European companies announced job losses totalling more than 10,000 on Wednesday, underlining the scale of problems facing the continent's manufacturers.

Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer, said 2,000 jobs would be cut after it posted an almost doubling of pre-tax losses in the face of falling prices and fierce competition from China.

Tree growers, politicians, scientists and landowners will meet on Wednesday in London to discuss a strategy to control the deadly fungal disease which threatens to kill 80m ash trees in Britain.

The tree summit is expected to hear from the government that more cases have been identified in both woodlands and nurseries following inspections by the Forestry Commission and reports by the public.

Earlier this week, new cases were identified across Britain, suggesting the disease has arrived on both spores blown in from the continent and on nursery stock.

Large parts of England and Wales are on flood alert after heavy rain – plus snow and hail – swept across the UK over the weekend. On Monday morning 16 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected and immediate action is needed – were in place: six in the south-west of England, five in the Anglian region and three in the Midlands.

In addition the Environment Agency published more than 70 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, almost half of them in the south-east of England.

An automated segmented flow analyzer, the AA3 from SEAL Analytical, is being used at BASF’s manufacturing facility at Ludwigshafen in Germany, to protect manufacturing equipment from corrosion or chemical attack from potential impurities in demineralised water, boiler feed water and steam condensate.

Roland Bruenn, who has been with BASF since 1986, is responsible for the analysis of process and environmental samples. He says “We take samples continuously, twenty four hours per day, and typically test 30 to 50 samples per day for silica, ammonium and iron.  However, the AA3 has the facility to test hundreds of samples per day so we have the ability to increase the work rate if necessary. This work is extremely important for the protection of high value process equipment.”