STADIUM'S STEEL QUALITY CHECK AFTER POLICE PROBE

27 June 2005

A Safety review is to be carried out at Swansea's £27 million stadium, it emerged today. Engineers are to check the quality of the steel used in constructing the 20,000-seater stadium after an inquiry at the Llanelli firm which provided some of the steel.

Dyfed Steels is being investigated by police after a former employee made claims of irregularities in quality certificates issued for the company's steel - an allegation strongly denied by the company.

Engineers Rowecord have confirmed they used Dyfed Steel materials for part of the construction of the Landore stadium.

John Blackwell, managing director of Rowecord, said no safety checks were necessary at the time as it did not have to be upgraded steel. But he has confirmed that the company will now look at the issue.

Mr Blackwell added today: "We will review the steel bought from Dyfed Steels.

"We confirm Dyfed supply less than three per cent of our steel with the balance being delivered from Corus.

"Dyfed Steels supplied 4.6 tonnes of steel on the White Rock stadium in Morfa in a total of 2,705 tonnes."

The concerns over the quality of the steel were raised by a former Dyfed Steels employee. He alleges that original impact steel test certificates issued by Somerset-based testing experts Bodycote were later falsified for upgraded passes. Steel industry accreditors UKAS and Bodycote are now investigating along with police.

David Thomas, Dyfed Steels managing director, said: "We have made the facilities of the company available to all parties who may wish to pursue this matter.

"We have been aware of the allegations you refer to for a number of months and would like to refute them in the strongest terms.

"Investigations we have carried out internally on testing since 1996 shows no amended test certificates in our possession."

A police spokesman said: "Llanelli CID are investigating alleged irregularities in respect of quality certificates for steel products supplied by Dyfed Steels."