Government attempts to contain the mounting UK steel crisis have been dealt a further blow after Caparo Industries announced 452 job losses. Caparo entered administration on 19 October and the cost-cutting measures announced on Friday include the immediate closure of five sites as the steel products company fights for survival.
The biggest job losses were at a factory in Darlaston, West Midlands, where 122 workers were made redundant, with the remaining redundancies at sites across England and Wales. The cutbacks at Caparo capped a grim month for the British steel industry, with thousands of jobs lost or put at risk due to the plunging price of steel, high energy costs and the strong pound making exports expensive.
Anna Soubry, the minister for enterprise and industry, said: “This will be a very upsetting time for the hundreds of Caparo workers and their families affected by today’s announcement.”