FORMER workers from a Brierley Hill steelworks are up in arms over the suggested position of a £70,000 sculpture to commemorate the factory.

Round Oak Steelworks was a main employer in Brierley Hill for over 100 years, before it finally closed in 1982.

As part of the plans for the new multi million Parallel Route, Dudley Council have suggested building a sculpture and placing it on the new road, as a tribute to the factory and its workers.

It has been suggested the sculpture be placed on Level Street close to Adsa next to the Parallel Route, as it was initially thought this was close to the original Round Oak Steelwork site.

At Brierley Hill area committee on Thursday October 2, former workers from the factory raised concerns over the position of the piece of the art, stating they thought the sculpture should be placed on the island close to Brierley Hill fire station.

Brierley Hill ward councillor, Zafar Islam, said: “People who worked there or have relatives who work there feel very strongly about this and have memories abut it.

“If we want to keep the heritage alive and show it to people who come into Brierley Hill and Merry Hill, it should where people remember it to be.

“At the moment it looks derelict by the fire station, we should be looking to the future.”

Speaking at the meeting , cllr Rachel Harris added: “The site for the sculpture has become quite a topic.

“Fortunately we are going to have a piece of art and we should have a tribute to people who built the wealth of the area.

“However it is not at the heritage site which is the framework of the community memory.

“It is often dismissed and not realised how powerful their memory is.

“Can we look at the site again?”

It was decided the proposed site for the sculpture should be looked at again before being presented back to the next Brierley Hill area committee.