An employee at Tata Steel’s works in Port Talbot has been accused of throwing a cat into a vat.
A spokesperson for Tata Steel confirmed that the employee has been “suspended pending an investigation.”
The company is reviewing CCTV footage to see footage of claims that the cat was thrown into a piece of machinery, resulting in its death.
The allegation was made on Friday and witnesses are being asked to come forward by the company.
The spokesperson said there will “no doubt be a disciplinary hearing… We take these allegations very seriously.”
“Having a cat in a steelworks isn’t as ridiculous as it seems,” he said. “The site consists of large manufacturing plants over a large area. There is a possibility of feral animals, including foxes, badgers and peregrine falcons coming within that area as not all parts of the plants are enclosed.”
When asked what would happen to the employee accused of the incident, the spokesperson expected a quick resolution as “we have carried out a lot of work on ethics values and beliefs in the workforce so I would expect there to be developments.”
The RSPCA has been made aware of allegations of animal cruelty involving cats at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot.
A spokesperson for the animal protection charity said that an inquiry had begun and urged anyone with information to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.
