Steel-making safeguarded in Hartlepool

The new owner of Tata Steel's Hartlepool pipe mills has pledged to rebuild the site into a world force. Liberty House Group took over the threatened plant in July, safeguarding 140 jobs.

Its boss Sanjeev Gupta visited staff at an inauguration event, with production on the first orders about to get underway.

Once it was pivotal, then its future was uncertain, but now the steel mill is back in business.

At full operation the plant can pump out 1000 pipes a week, 20 world class products an hour for the energy sector and even football stadiums.

But only last year a downturn in the oil and gas industries hit the mills hard with previous owners Tata coming close to pulling out of steel making altogether in the UK.

It's selling off chunks of its portfolio, paving the way for a steel revival on Teesside.

The new company's already secured 6,500 tonnes in orders, and they'll begin production in the next few weeks.

It means the town has the chance to fly the flag for steel manufacturing once again.