A LEADING Teesside politician has vowed to contact the commissioners of a new £4m footbridge and demand they use Teesside steel.

Conservative councillor Stephen Smailes also criticised Tees Valley Regeneration for failing to opt for the bridge design chosen by the public.

Coun Smailes, leader of the opposition on Stockton Borough Council, said commissioners Tees Valley Regeneration had "cocked a snook" at the Stockton public.

Work on the new bridge between Durham University's Queen Campus, in Thornaby, and the planned multi-million pound Northbank Business Park development is expected to begin in the new year.

The chosen sweeping bridge design by Spence Associates was the second favourite in a poll of more than 4,000 Stockton residents with 911 votes. The rejected favourite entry received 1,532 votes.

Coun Smailes criticised the decision and said he wanted assurances that only British, and preferably Redcar, steel would be used.

He said: "What was the point of the poll if they're going to ignore it? Once you get a vote from the public, you should go along with it. They've cocked a snook at the Stockton public.

"I will be contacting Tees Valley Regeneration, seeking a cast iron guarantee that steel from this country, and, hopefully, Redcar, is used.

"The last time we had a new bridge here they floated steel up from Spain. It's a long way from when we supplied the steel for the Sydney Harbour Bridge."

Joe Docherty, chief executive of Tees Valley Regeneration, said the public vote was only one factor in the final decision-making process.

He said: "We actually made it clear right from the beginning that we genuinely wanted as many views as possible, but that we had to take into account things like cost and engineering.

"In fact, the public did have a very strong influence on the decision, but we just had to look at other things.

"I personally want the steel for the bridge to be made on Teesside, because the best steel in the world is made here.

"However, the law says we can't stipulate that to any contractors. We cannot even only have British firms, but have to invite contractors from across Europe to apply by law."