THREE former steelworkers marked a milestone in their thriving business when they launched its £250,000 headquarters yesterday.

When the British Steel works in Consett closed in 1980 it struck a blow, from which the town is still recovering.

Former steelworker Paul Jackson, born and bred in nearby Moorside, remembers it well. "It was total devastation," he said.

"The whole town revolved around the steel works and just about every family had at least one member employed there."

Two of his British Steel colleagues, Alan Swinburne and Ken Jose, set up a business, Metallurgical Inspection Services, on an industrial estate in the shadow of the iron works.

They brought in Mr Jackson, who had left the works two years earlier and was working at Swan Hunter's shipyard on Tyneside.

"My partners realised that they were not going to find employment and that they would have to go it alone and set up their own business," he said.

"Working in the shipyards, I had to be multi-skilled. I picked up a lot of practical knowledge that enabled us to do a lot of technical jobs."

With Mr Jackson's connections and know-how, they began by specialising in metal testing in shipyards on the Tyne.

The firm has become a leading specialist in environmental safety, particularly on issues surrounding the use of asbestos.

Mr Swinburne and Mr Jose have since retired and Mr Jackson has rebranded the company as MIS Environmental.

It employs more than 50 staff, including five former steelworkers, and the expansion has forced the company to look for new premises.

Its headquarters, Eden House, opened on the Watling Street Industrial Estate, in Leadgate, near Consett.

"The new headquarters here will enable us to support other satellite offices and we hope to expand into other areas of the UK," said Mr Jackson.

North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong performed the opening ceremony and praised the firm's efforts.

"The closure of the British Steel works in the early Eighties was a real trauma for the town and the district," she said.

"However, the company did leave behind a legacy of skilled people committed to reviving the local economy.

"Companies such as MIS stuck around, built new markets and generated new jobs for local people."