MP Steve Barclay says, if the Government gets behind a Chatteris firm, it could create up to 400 jobs for the area.

Stainless Metalcraft has already secured a £47 million contract to build 1,100 specialist nuclear waste containers for a decommissioning project at the Sellafield nuclear processing site in Cumbria.

It is just one of two companies to have been awarded a contract in the first phase of the government’s allocated spend on decommissioning the nuclear power station. And it is the only British company to benefit.

As a result, the company will look to increase its employees including raising the number of apprentices it takes on this year from two or three to 10.

About 40,000 specialist containers are needed in the coming years for Sellafield and also for plans to decommission 19 other nuclear powers stations including Dounreay in Scotland. The total contract will be worth more than £1.6 billion.

If Stainless Metalcraft succeed in obtaining a further contract, it could spell up to 400 new jobs including 200 apprenticeships and massive investment in technology.

Mr Barclay wants to ensure Stainless Metalcraft benefits from the next contract round too and plans to lobby relevant ministers to point out the benefits of awarding such lucrative contracts to a British company.

He said: “The benefits are many fold. This is Government money that is already allocated ready to spend and by allocating it to British firms it provides significant tax benefits to the Government – so it will be like recycling money into the country’s economy.

“The knock on effect of this amount of money being invested in our area will be huge. The jobs created will be long term because of the time required to fulfil the contract.

“This is a win win situation for the tax payer and for the Government. It is money that is already allocated for the decommissioning of Sellafield, so it makes sense that as much of the £1.6 billion planned spend as possible goes on contracts to a British firm like Stainless Metalcraft.

“The tax benefits are obvious, it will give a significant boost for the economic growth of this area. I have already started discussing with ministers how we can ensure that Stainless Metalcraft can now capitalise on the next round of funding having been one of only two companies to have won contracts in the first round.

“I am calling on both Cambridgeshire County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership to step up and offer Stainless Metalcraft the support it needs to tap into the significant potential offered by this first contract so it can capitalise on the future government spend.”