British firms slashed almost 5000 jobs today in one of the bloodiest culls since the start of the economic crisis.

The carnage struck across the business world, with drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline, housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, mobiles firm Virgin Media and Yellow Pages owner Yell all wielding the axe.

It came just a day before official figures are expected to show UK unemployment rocketing towards two million as recession batters Britain.

Economists warn unemployment could hit three million next year — the highest number since the aftermath of the last recession in the early 1990s.

Virgin Media, in which Sir Richard Branson is the biggest shareholder, is to axe 2200 British jobs in a move to save £120 million a year. The redundancies programme is one of the biggest announced by a single employer since the start of the credit crunch.

The firm, which was formed from the merger of Virgin Mobile and NTL Tele-west in 2006, said the job cuts would come from operations throughout the company and be phased in by 2012, with most happening in late 2009 and 2010.

However, many are expected to go at its headquarters in Hook in Hampshire. It has 76 offices across the UK, with major bases including sites in London, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Sheffield.

Glaxo, meanwhile, announced plans to close its factory in Dartford in 2013 with the loss of 620 jobs. It came as a massive blow to the Kent town, where the world's second-biggest drugmaker is a significant employer.

The decision to close the Dartford factory reflects falling demand for drugs made at the site, and is part of an ongoing review by new chief executive Andrew Witty.

Yell is to cut another 1300 jobs, or almost 10% of its workforce, as it struggles against the economic downturn. The cuts are expected to come in the UK and the US.

It has already cut a similar number of jobs in the last year and renegotiated the terms on its £3.8 billion of debt. Chief executive John Condron said: “Global economic trends show no sign of improving. Therefore, we are actively working on further cost-reduction programmes.”

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey warned there is no end in sight to the housing slump as it took its job cuts for the year to 1900, or a third of its UK housing workforce. It has axed 1000 staff since the start of July, having shown 900 the door in the first half of the year.

The builder welcomed last week's dramatic cut in interest rates from 4.5% to 3%, but said “there will not be a recovery in the UK housing market in the short term”.

Business has gone from bad to worse since the September collapse of Lehman Brothers sent financial markets into meltdown. Sales so far in the second half are down 27% to just 165 a week.

“Conditions in the UK housing market have remained extremely challenging, with the recent events in the world financial markets further depressing customer confidence,” the firm said.