MORE pressure is being put on the Government to protect British plastic makers from foreign competitors who ignore international trade laws.

North-East MEP Stephen Hughes has written to Secretary of State Patricia Hewitt urging her to back proposals to impose tariffs on rival producers who are trying to undermine European competitors.

The Northern Echo revealed on Saturday that hundreds of Teesside jobs were threatened by the practice of "dumping" in the polyethylene terephthalate (Pet) industry.

The problem has seen manufacturers of Pet - used to make transparent plastic drinking bottles - in China, Pakistan and Australia selling products at prices lower than they cost to make.

The practice is against international free trade agreements and threatens companies in the region, particularly DuPontSA, on the Wilton site.

The Government has the opportunity to fight the trade by voting for the European Union imposing provisional duties on the foreign plastic to stop it being falsely competitive.

Mr Hughes said in his letter: "I am contacting you to bring home the importance for the UK Government to support the European Union initiative on anti-dumping in order to allow the UK Pet supply industry to survive, and indeed to maintain hundreds of jobs in this industry within the North of England.

"For the sake of workers within my European constituency and for the continuing viability of the Pet producers on Teesside, I would request that our Department of Trade and Industry representatives at the anti-dumping committee on the 15th of January vote in favour of EC proposals to impose provisional duties.

"If this is not supported, I believe that the ramifications for the chemical cluster on Teesside could be catastrophic."