Anger after German-imported steel is used to build road a ‘minute’s walk’ from Welsh steel plant
Facebook user Shaun Pope posted a picture of the metal which had a ‘made in Germany’ label sparking heated debate online
A FURIOUS Facebook user has posted a picture of some German-made steel which he delivered to a government-funded road building project - which sits next to a Welsh steel plant.
Contractor Shaun Pope, 30, delivered the steel rebar, used in road foundations, to Eastern Bay Link – which will connect Cardiff Bay to the rest of the capital.
And local-boy Shaun was amazed when he saw a ‘made in Germany’ label on his delivery despite Celsa steel plant being a “one-minute walk” away.
The disgruntled contractor's social media post quickly went viral and was shared more than 12,000 times.
He wrote: “Delivering steel to a huge government-funded road building project in Cardiff Docks.
“Can you see the problem? This is literally a one-minute walk to a Welsh steel plant.
“Maybe this is why our steel industry is screwed if we’re spending our own money on foreign imports?”
The Welsh Government has responded by stating that the “vast majority” of steel used in the £57.3 million project comes from Celsa.
Shaun, from Radyr, north-west Cardiff, said: “I was taking the steel off the truck when I realised I could see Celsa about quarter of a mile away.
“I know that Celsa do make steel rebar. It seems wrong to import it from Germany when the same product is made here in Wales.”
The contractor’s online post sparked heated debate on the popular social network.
One Facebook user called the situation a “total joke”.
Another said: “Common sense is a thing of the past these days.”
A third user added: “It’s not Germany’s fault that their government looks after their indigenous industry. We should take a leaf out of their books.”
Shaun says he is happy that his post created such passionate discussion online.
He said: “I’m not surprised by the reaction – that’s why I posted it.
“This is something we need to talk about, especially in the context of people losing their jobs at Port Talbot and in the context of the European referendum.”
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Government described the Eastern Bay Link project as “complex”.
She said: “This is a complex project requiring different types of steel but the vast majority of rebar steel used for this project is being sourced from Celsa in Wales.”
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