£2m 'bigger and better' steel site work begins

WORK is under way on a £2m project for Teesside steel specialists to become “bigger and better” - creating new jobs to boot.

- By SUE KIRBY

Steel Benders UK, a steel bending, forming and folding firm, has begun transforming the derelict Caparo and forge plant in Hartlepool, which has stood largely unused since its closure in 2015.

The £2m investment will see the company relocate its entire operation from Middlesbrough for the first time in its 23-year history, creating at least 15 new jobs in the initial phase, to the six-acre former steel plant on Brenda Road.

In a strong show of regional partnership, Steel Benders UK is supplying all steel materials for the development, while Brims Construction - operating from its Thornaby and Gateshead bases - has been appointed to lead the first phase of onsite construction.

Steel Benders’ managing director Tania Cooper said: “With planning approval now secured, Brims Construction are on site stripping back the old plant and building the foundations for our machinery.