Up to 95 Cleveland Bridge staff face redundancy

Up to 95 Cleveland Bridge staff face redundancy as a result of the steel specialist's decision to cease work on the Wembley Stadium project.

Up to 30 staff and 65 manual operative jobs are at risk. Cleveland Bridge stopped all work for Wembley's main contractor Multiplex on Monday and launched a legal bid to recover the substantial sums it is owed.

Cleveland deputy managing director Brian Rogan said:  “Naturally we are very disappointed that we find ourselves in this situation. We are doing everything in our power to replace the fabrication work for Wembley Stadium by bringing forward other projects, but there are technical and logistical reasons which make this difficult.

"We had no other choice than to instigate legal action against Multiplex and we made this very tough decision for the benefit of the company as a whole, as we very much want this business to survive and continue to contribute as a significant member of the Darlington community.

"We will work with our staff, the trade unions and leading community representatives to effect the downsizing in as sensitive and as speedy a manner as possible so that all parties know where they stand."