UK Risks Import Dependence as Historic Salt Industry Nears Collapse
London, Friday, 16 January 2026.
Once the world’s leading exporter, Britain faces total import dependence for salt as major plants threaten closure, signaling a critical tipping point for the nation’s crumbling chemical sector.
The Breaking Point for British Brine
Britain’s industrial heritage is built on bedrock—quite literally, in the case of Cheshire’s salt deposits, which have sustained the nation since Roman times [1]. However, a stark warning issued yesterday, January 15, 2026, by Inovyn suggests that the domestic production of this ubiquitous mineral is on the brink of cessation [1]. Inovyn, a subsidiary of INEOS that accounts for approximately 50% of Britain’s salt output, has indicated that its Runcorn plant may be forced to close absent government intervention [1]. Such a closure would force the UK, once the world’s preeminent salt exporter during the 19th and 20th centuries, to rely entirely on imports for a material critical to 90% of all pharmaceuticals, water purification systems, and plastics [1].
Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
The implications of losing domestic salt production extend far beyond the dinner table. Tom Crotty, group director of chemicals at INEOS, elucidated the economic ripple effects, noting that downstream industries—such as food production—would be forced to purchase imported salt at significantly higher premiums [1]. This shift would render UK products uncompetitive against international rivals, creating a complex supply chain crisis for an economy already grappling with structural shifts [1]. Currently, the UK produces nearly 3 million tonnes of salt annually, sufficient to meet national demand, but this self-sufficiency is now in jeopardy [1].
A Sector in Freefall
The potential loss of salt manufacturing is merely the latest symptom of a broader malaise afflicting the UK’s chemical sector, which has seen output decline by 20% over the past three years [1]. In the last decade alone, 11 major chemical plants have shuttered across the country [1]. The dismantling of this industrial infrastructure has been systematic; just last year, in 2025, Tata Chemicals Europe closed its soda ash plant in Lostock after 150 years of operation, ending the domestic production of sodium carbonate [1]. This followed the 2023 closure of a CF Fertilisers plant in Billingham, which stripped Britain of its ability to produce ammonia, and the recent shutdown of Sabic’s ethylene cracker at Wilton [1].
Economic Growth Amidst Industrial Decline
While heavy industry faces an existential crisis, the broader economy has shown modest signs of resilience. Official figures released yesterday reveal that the UK economy grew by 0.3% in November 2025 [4]. This growth was primarily driven by the services sector, which rebounded following a weak October [6]. Manufacturing also showed improvement, largely due to the phased restart of production at Jaguar Land Rover following a debilitating cyber attack in August 2025 [4]. However, the construction sector contracted again, registering its largest three-monthly fall in nearly three years, casting doubt on the government’s target to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliament [4].