BT says it is to cut around 13,000 jobs and move some of its offices in a bid to trim £1.5 billion off its costs base.

The telecommunications giant has not elaborated on where those jobs will go, although around a third are likely to be from outside the UK.

It has a major facilities in Sevenoaks, close to the town's mainline railway station, as well as a number of other office sites in the county.

It says the roles being lost will be "mainly back office and middle management" positions. The cuts will be reduced over a three-year period and off-set by 6,000 new roles to support "network deployment and customer service".

Plans also include focusing on 30 modern, strategic sites which will include plans to exit its headquarters in central London to find smaller offices.

A BT spokesperson, said: “There are no details at this stage of either the reduction in roles, or the new jobs we have announced today, or what this means for individual locations around the country. We have been clear, however, that the changes will represent an investment in the jobs and skills needed to strengthen our networks and customer service.

“Today we’re announcing that we will reduce the number of offices we have in the UK over the coming years, developing a network of 30 modern workplaces across the country. There are no details yet of what this means for individual locations around the country.”

Gavin Patterson, BT chief executive, said: “We provide products and services that are essential to both consumers and businesses, delivered through multiple channels to suit their needs. This position of strength will enable us to build on the disciplined delivery and risk reduction of the last financial year, a period during which we delivered overall in-line with our financial and operational commitments whilst addressing many uncertainties.”