A MAJOR site for manufacturing in the North-East has been praised for its safe working practises.

Teesside politician Dr Ashok Kumar applauded the fact that Wilton International, near Redcar, had won an award.

The MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland said the seven major companies that operated at the 2,000-acre site -Huntsman, Uniqema, Invista, Dow, pxlimited, SembCorp Utilities Teesside and DuPontSA -had set the example for others to follow.

He was speaking at the granting of the British Safety Council's Five-Star Safety Award.

Wilton International is the first multi-company site to be presented with the award by the council, which is one of the world's leading independent workplace safety bodies.

Each company underwent a safety audit earlier in the year.