Calls to support city's pottery industry

MP David Williams said ceramics should remain a focus of Stoke-on-Trent's economy

Calls have been made to support the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, as firms continue to be hit by rising costs.

Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams raised the issue during a debate in Parliament and said the industry needed to remain a "focus" of the city's economy.

It came after W Moorcroft Ltd in Burslem warned of possible job losses as it faced falling sales and a £120,000 rise in annual energy bills.

Royal Stafford, which employed 83 people, announced it had entered liquidation last month, and Portmeirion confirmed it was making a number of staff redundant at its Stoke-on-Trent site.

Speaking in Westminster Hall on Tuesday, Mr Williams said: "Over the years, we've already lost our pits and we cannot afford to lose anymore of our pots.

"Our ceramics companies must remain a focus of economic growth and industry for our city."

Minister for business and trade Sarah Jones said the government was aware of the issues he had raised and would be "looking at them deeply".

The ceramics industry has long been a key part of Stoke-on-Trent's economy

Neil Hackney, director of Brunswick Ceramic Services in Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent, told BBC Radio Stoke it was a "worrying" time for the industry and the workers.

The firm has been going for almost 50 years and Mr Hackney said he was not optimistic about the industry's future, pointing to a lack of training available.

He said: "It's incredibly sad because you know these people and they work hard. They're good people and they're skilled people."

While his energy costs weren't as high as larger pottery firms, Mr Hackney said they had risen dramatically, along with insurance and labour costs.

"We are a lot smaller than we used to be… it seems to be decreasing, decreasing and decreasing. What will be left, I'm not sure," he said.