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This is the hot mill at Tata Steel's Port Talbot works as you've never seen it before.

Steelworker Scott Horwood, from Burry Port, has used his expert knowledge of the giant steel hot mill to reconstruct a fully working mill replica in Lego.

Scott started work with Tata Steel in 2005 as an apprentice.

He then progressed to be a hydraulic fitter and a mechanical inspector before taking up his current role in the mill in 2012.

Currently preparing for the summer stop, Scott took some time out to show his colleagues the replica hot mill he has built and how it rolls and coils strips of card instead of white hot steel.

Built using a mixture of old blocks and new parts of Lego, Scott re-fashioned different parts to make each section of the mill, including the loopers.

He said: "I started the project last July with one stand, then I built another and before long I had the full seven stands and the coiler. I have built part of the roughing mill, but because of the parts it needs to work it isn't to scale. I am not going to give up – that is my next project."





Scott said he didn't appreciate Lego when he was a child, and it certainly didn't influence his career choice.

"I wasn't sure what I wanted to be when I was younger. Like most children I played with Lego when I was growing up but when I was thinking about careers and what I would study I wanted to either work in catering or be an engineer.

'I got back into Lego when I saw a kit in the Lego shop in Cardiff about six years ago. It was a container carrier that was part of Lego city. I bought it and then was hooked.

"The hot mill is the first 'my own creation' I have completed. I know the hot mill very well and have changed lots of parts, including spindles, the looper tables, looper rolls and mill furniture in my role as mechanical engineer.

(Image: Matthew Horwood)

"It has taken countless hours to build and I am pleased that I was able to make something that I am proud to work on as an engineer both in and out of work."

Glynn Williams, production specialist in the Hot Mill, added: "Scott is an excellent engineer and he has combined his passion for building things with his hobby.

"His understanding of how the hot mill works is first class, which is evident in the replica he has built. It has quickly become a talking point within the hot mill team."