Director Shareholding

Helical Bar PLC
18 August 2004

HELICAL BAR PLC

PRESS RELEASE


NOTIFICATION OF INTERESTS OF DIRECTORS AND CONNECTED PARTIES

HELICAL BAR PLC ('Helical Bar' or 'the Company')

The Company was informed today that the following transactions and share awards
had taken place:

1.         Exercise of Share Options

            On 18 August 2004 subscription options over 538,622 new ordinary 5p
shares in the Company were exercised in accordance with the rules of the Senior
Executive 1988 Share Option Scheme.  Following the exercise of these options the
Company has 27,156,525 ordinary 5p shares in issue.

Included in these transactions are options exercised by the following Directors:

Michael Slade           Option over 253,622 shares exercised at 452.5p per share

Nigel McNair Scott      Option over 250,000 shares exercised at 412.5p per share

2.         Sale of Shares

            On 18 August 2004 the following Directors sold shares in the
Company:

Michael Slade             253,622 shares sold at 960.0p per share

Nigel McNair Scott        250,000 shares sold at 960.0p per share

3.         Performance Share Plan Awards

            On 18 August 2004, under the terms of the Helical Bar plc
Performance Share Plan 2004 approved at the Annual General Meeting of 28 July
2004, the following share awards were made to directors of the Company:

            Michael Slade                   150,000 shares
            Nigel McNair Scott               75,000 shares
            Gerald Kaye                      75,000 shares
            Michael Brown                    75,000 shares

4.         Helical Bar plc Employee Share Ownership Plan Trust ('ESOP')

            On 18 August 2004 the Company's ESOP purchased 362,648 ordinary 5p
shares at 960p per share.  Following this purchase the ESOP holds 1,854,587
(6.8%) ordinary 5p shares in the Company.

5.         Directors' Interests in Shares

            Following these transactions the Directors' interests in shares are
as follows:

                            Shares Held                 Share Options     Performance Share
                                                                                Plan

Michael Slade              3,017,310     (11.1%)      1,054,000         150,000
Nigel McNair Scott         628,989       (2.3%)       407,000           75,000
Gerald Kaye                311,575       (1.1%)       706,419           75,000
Michael Brown              288,923       (1.1%)       606,418           75,000


Contact:  T. J. Murphy                     020 7629 0113

Date of Notification:                      18 August 2004


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