Tata Steel job losses 'will kill Scunthorpe'

People in Scunthorpe say the job losses at the town's steelworks will 'kill' the town

As 900 workers at Tata's Scunthorpe plant face losing their jobs, what will be the knock-on effect for the North Lincolnshire town "built on steel"?

For 150 years, the town's steelworks, with plumes of smoke rising from their imposing towers, have dominated Scunthorpe's skyline and its manufacturing industry.

But the past 40 years have marked a long, slow decline, with numbers employed at the plant on North Lincoln Road dropping from 30,000 in the 1950s to 4,000 in 2015.

Now, almost a quarter of those people are set to lose their jobs.

"This will kill Scunthorpe, there will be nothing."

So says Karen Hope-Dilley, who runs the Grange Lane Cafe just down the road.

She said: "Morale of the customers is just at rock bottom. People are really scared about what's happening.

"They're worried about their jobs, their futures, their children, their families."

Adrienne Calder, who also works at the cafe, said it could cost the family their business.

"Everyone is in the same situation, we could potentially close down because we haven't got the people coming in to buy our food."

Owners of the Grange Lane Cafe down the road from the plant fear they could lose business

For those directly affected by the news, the future seems even more bleak.

Single dad David Sayers is the third generation of his family to work at the Scunthorpe site and described the news as a "disaster."

"I support my family and if I potentially lose my income, I could lose my home as well," he said.

For others, whose entire careers have been spent on the plate mills, prospects could be limited.

James Parkinson worked at the steelworks for more than 30 years, as did his father, uncles and grandfather.

"If you ask anyone in the town, they will know someone who's worked there.

"Now they're getting rid of 900 jobs and they're going to say, 'Sorry son, there's no jobs for you, here's your redundancy, we'll try to help as much as we can'.

In nearby Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lorraine Cable, whose two sons both work at Tata, said the future was no brighter for the younger generation.

"They would have to sign on like everyone else because there will be so many people looking for jobs and there aren't any at the minute, even without people being laid off."

"There's nothing else here for them."

Eric Longbottom said the effect of the job losses would be "devastating" for Scunthorpe

Resident Eric Longbottom said competition is likely to be fierce for the few jobs going once the redundancies are made.

"A friend of mine was out of work for two or three years and every time he went for a job, there were 20 or 30 people applying for the same one.

"So what's it going to be like now? There will be 100 people or more going for those jobs. It's devastating, it will affect people for miles around."

Nic Dakin, Labour MP for Scunthorpe, said the development was "devastating" for workers and their families.

"The key issue at the moment must be to make sure that they are given maximum support during this very difficult time," he said.

Many fear the latest announcement - which has done nothing to quell rumours of the site's eventual closure - could turn Scunthorpe into a "ghost town".

Asim Akhter, manager of Home Furnishings in the town centre, said something needed to be done to save the site.

"If it closes it will be chaos for the town. That site is half of Scunthorpe, if someone can come and take over, that could save Scunthorpe.

"If not, it's sad news for everyone."

Asim Akhter said the town centre will suffer as a result of the job cuts

One resident who spoke to BBC Radio Lincolnshire described the knock-on effect the job losses would have on the town.

"It's not just steelworkers' jobs, it's peripheral businesses, small construction companies, suppliers, they are all going to suffer," he said.

Rumours of the site's eventual closure have done nothing to quell fears Scunthorpe could become a 'ghost town'

Meanwhile, chaplain for the steelworks Rev Peter Vickers said it was an emotional time for staff.

"You've got fear, you've got anger, you've got frustration, you've got doubt - you've got them all.

"There's been an awful lot of fretting going on and I suspect a lot of friction in various households, where all the parties in the family work on this site."

David Jenkins said generations of his family had worked in the steel industry

Retired steelworker David Jenkins, who worked at the plant for 40 years, said it was "a sad day".

"I feel very sorry for the lads who are left there. It's been coming for a long time," he added.