The economic downturn following the 1973 oil crisis, technological improvements and economies of scale, and a wide-reaching restructuring of steel production throughout the European Economic Community led to the closure of many of the steelworks.
但是1973年石油危机后的经济衰退，加之技术改进，规模经济以及整个欧洲经济共同体内钢铁生产大规模重组，导致谢菲尔德地区的许多钢铁厂倒闭。