THE Artenius plant on Teesside was owed more than £60m from companies within its own parent group when it was put into administration, The Northern Echo can reveal.

And as Artenius, based at Wilton, enters the week in which the fate of its remaining operational division and its 105 workers could be decided, the extent of its financial predicament when parent company La Seda de Barcelona called in administrators became increasingly clear.

The Northern Echo has learned that Artenius was not paid for more than £60mworth of materials and engineering services by other companies in the La Seda group – which made a £564m loss last year – in the last quarter of last year and first quarter of this year.

It comes after last week’s revelation that Artenius – which despite La Seda’s troubles has remained a profitable plant – also owed £36m to key suppliers, some of which are neighbours on the Wilton site, due to an absence in badlyneeded cash from La Seda.

The latest figures further support claims by workers and unions that the Spanish parent “loaded its debt” onto its UK asset, and comes as speculation mounts that the Melenar 5 (M5) terminal at Artenius may be mothballed this week.

Administrator Deloitte, which made 137 workers redundant two weeks ago from the T8 plant, said that when orders were completed – a situation expected by the middle of this week – the facility would be mothballed until a buyer is found. The jobs of the remaining 105 workers are expected to be lost.

However, support for Artenius and its workers has continued to rise, with a delegation from the site and Redcar MP Vera Baird, traveling to Spain last weekend to lobby La Seda shareholders, to significant support from Spanish workers and trade unions.

Carlos Gila, vice-president of La Seda, also admitted to them it was “a mistake” to portray the Wilton plant as unviable on the group’s website, and pledged to make every effort to help administrators secure a sale.

Support is also growing through the online petition to save the plant, with hundreds of messages being received from around the world.

Alexandre Martins, of Sines in Portugal, spent two months training at the T8 plant and was keen to lend his support.

He said: “There is an amazing and skilled team of engineers and technicians at the T8 plant. I’m joining their movement in the defence of their jobs, and I hope everything can end well.”

Twelve-year-old Jack Kerr, from Marske-by-the-Sea, near Redcar, signed the petition after his father was made redundant.

He said: “My dad liked working there and he and his workmates did a good job.

“He wants to return to his job so that he can earn his wages again.”

■ To add your support, visit northernecho.co.uk/artenius petition