Vestas bosses moved four wind turbine blades from their Venture Quays factory, in East Cowes, on Friday 4 September, but backed off from moving the nine blades in the St Cross factory, in Newport, after workers and supporters picketed the "marine gate" there.
The blades are those left unfinished when workers occupied the factory on 20 July. After bailiffs evicted the occupiers on 7 August, workers continued picketing the factory against the movement of those blades and other materials from the site.
The blades have to go by barge, within about two hours either side of high tide (click here for tide times), and across a cycle path which is a public right of way.
No-one knows exactly when Vestas will try to move the blades. There is good reason to suppose that they want to move them soon. These blades, after all, were due to be out of the factory before 20 July, and the nine are worth about £700,000. There is also other stuff - including a mould - that Vestas are likely to want to move from St Cross by barge.
A large part of the "camp" on the roundabout at the factory's main gate is being moved to the “marine gate” of the St Cross factory, and many workers unable to be regularly at the roundabout are ready to turn out to the marine gate when they have notice of the barges moving. Please join them if you can.
The "marine gate" is off the cycle track leading from Newport to Cowes, which is a turning off River Way/ Manners View on the St Cross industrial estate.
