Steel crisis

This blip seemed appropriate for today. 

It is an old fireless steam engine that is now located by the A57 by-pass which skirts Irlam and Cadishead. When in use it chugged away at the old CWS Soap works, long gone. With the closure of the CWS works, it was located to a recreation ground and was heading for the scrap heap before the local rotary club had it restored.

Behind it lies the Northbank industrial estate, with a whole variety of businesses., many of them in shiny modern premises. The previous use of the land is only hinted at by the road names - such as Ferrous Way and Bessemer Way. It was the site of the Partington, then Lancashire, Iron and Steel Works. Long gone as well.

I heard on the radio today that in its heyday the steel industry in the UK employed 220,000 people. It now employs 17,000, and that could reduce to zero if Port Talbot and the other remaining sites go as a result of Tata's decision to sell off. I suppose the strategic decision is - do we want to import all of our steel from China and those places which retain production facilities. It does look a bit "toytown" though.