TRADE minister Patricia Hewitt has angered campaigners battling to save a doomed cement works by appearing to back the company's case for closure.

Weardale County Councillor John Shuttleworth asked Ms Hewitt to step in after Lafarge UK twice shunned possible takeover talks over its Blue Circle plant at Eastgate.

Three weeks earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair raised the hopes of workers by meeting with union leaders.

Councillor Shuttleworth contacted Trade and Industry Secretary Ms Hewitt in early February putting his case for an investigation by the Competition Commission into Lafarge's refusal to discuss the sale of the plant either with Weardale businessman Angus Ward or an unknown European manufacturer.

The GMB union is investigating competition laws, as is Weardale's MP Hilary Armstrong, who is also Government Chief Whip.

But Ms Hewitt angered Councillor Shuttleworth by not mentioning the competition issue in her reply.

He said: "She has regurgitated the Lafarge line all the way through.

"I stressed the urgency of this when I wrote, but it has taken five weeks to get a reply. It is outrageous. They are paying more attention to foreign affairs instead of concentrating on domestic matters."

Billy Wilthew, Eastgate's GMB shop steward, said: "There is a terrible atmosphere at the works. The lads are desperate for something to happen."

Ms Armstrong said the competition issue was a matter for the Office of Fair Trading and not the Department of Trade Industry.