Ministers urged to 'act now' to help pottery firms

The government needs to "act now" to save Stoke-on-Trent's pottery industry, one of the city's MPs has said.

Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams said he was "gutted and devastated" after Moorcroft Pottery in Burslem became the latest ceramics firm to collapse, with its 57 employees all made redundant.

It is the third company to shut since the start of the year, which has sparked concerns over the future of an industry beset by rising costs, largely caused by increased energy prices.

The city's MPs and union representatives have been calling on the government to support the ailing industry.

Mr Williams told BBC Radio Stoke: "Ultimately, the time to act is now. What we can't have is any more of our pot banks going, it's part of what makes us a city. It's in our DNA."

He said a list of proposals had been put forward to the government about how the sector could be supported.

"It's now time the government acts and takes up some of those proposals. Ultimately, we need to get the energy bills down. It's the energy bills that are killing business," he added.

Mr Williams said the government's industrial strategy and spending review in June were critical for the future of the industry.

"That's when I hope the government will make a positive decision to support the sector," he said.

His comments came after he attended a meeting of former Moorcroft workers at the GMB union's office in Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday.

Paula Dale, who worked at Moorcroft for 27 years, was one of the former employees at the meeting.

She said she "could not believe it" when the announcement was made and that the news came as a shock.

"I never wanted it to end, I never wanted to work anywhere else.

"I'm nearly 59 and I never thought I'd have to get another job at my age after being there for so long," she said.

"The industry will die with us and none of us want that."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.