Refinery worker's sadness ahead of final shift

A pipe fitter has told of his sadness as he prepares for his final shift at a North Lincolnshire oil refinery.

Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Killingholme was taken over by the official receiver in June 2025 following the collapse of its owner Prax. The site will now be bought by Phillips 66, which runs the adjacent Humber Refinery.

David Cook, 63, from Gainsborough, has worked for contracting companies based at the site for 14 years, and is among a number of people who will lose their jobs today.

The Insolvency Service said without intervention all staff would have been left without a job, at no notice, in June, and it thanked workers for their "understanding and patience".

Cook described his time at the refinery as "very enjoyable".

"It's been a good site. Everybody gets on with each other, and every day...I look forward to going," he said.

"You've got your families at home and stuff like that, but you've got your work family."

Cook admitted hearing that Prax had gone into administration was a shock.

"Obviously, I'm going to miss it. I've been there a long time and so have others, and I think they're going to miss it as well. It just is what it is.

"It's the end of an era."

In October, 124 workers were made redundant from the site.

In December, the remaining 250 were guaranteed employment until the end of March.

The Insolvency Service previously confirmed 74 Prax employees would lose their jobs on Tuesday.

It added a further 100 employees had been offered roles with Phillips 66.

Another 58 workers were being "retained" to help run the site until the purchase is completed, which is expected to happen in April.

Phillips 66 said it was not planning to restart refining operations at the site.

Cook said he was "not looking forward" to his last day.

"Some of the lads on there... you're not going to see them again. You might bump into one or two of them, but it's not going to be like that family anymore."

Cook said he was not ready to retire.

"Hopefully, I can get something in pipe-fitting, but you know, I'm 63. There's plenty of younger lads. Maybe it's just come at the wrong time.

"It's 20 odd years since I've looked for a job. Now I've got to start looking on LinkedIn, going to these job fairs and stuff."

Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: "Our first priority is the workers and following discussions with government, Phillips 66 committed to interviewing all of the current workforce that apply for roles where they meet the qualifying criteria, with 100 Prax employees receiving job offers.

"We also took immediate action last year to fund a Training Guarantee for refinery workers affected by the closure, to ensure they all have the skills they need and are supported to find long-term jobs."

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