Notification of Interests - December 2006

Released: 22/12/2006

HELICAL BAR PLC
NOTIFICATION OF INTERESTS OF DIRECTORS AND
CONNECTED PARTIES
HELICAL BAR PLC (“Helical Bar” or “the Company”)

The Company was informed that the following transactions had taken place:

1. Share Incentive Plan
   
   The Company was informed on 21st December 2006 that on the 20th December 2006, under the rules of the Helical Bar plc Share Incentive Plan (“the Plan”), Helical Bar Trustees Limited, using contributions to the Plan by directors and employees matched in a 2:1 ratio by the Company, had awarded 4,095 ordinary 1p shares to directors and employees at the closing mid-market price on 19th December 2006 of 500.0p.
   
   Shares awarded to the directors were as follows:
   
   

   Director	Number of Shares
   Michael Slade	225
   Nigel McNair Scott	225
   Gerald Kaye	225
   Michael Brown	225

   
   
2. Exercise of Share Options
   
   On 21st December 2006 options over 429,500 new ordinary 1p shares were exercised in accordance with the rules of the Helical Bar 1999 Share Option Scheme and options over 770,500 ordinary 1p shares held by the Company’s ESOP Trust were exercised in accordance with the Senior Executive 1988 Share Option Scheme. Following the exercise of these options the Company had 95,719,432 ordinary 1p shares in issue.
   
   Included in these transactions are options exercised by the following Directors:
   
   Michael Slade
   
   Options over 770,500 shares exercised at 1p per share, originally granted over 1,000,000 shares at 113.00p per share.
   
   Nigel McNair Scott
   
   Options over 429,500 shares exercised at 1p per share, originally granted over 523,335 shares at 88.50p per share.
   
   
3. Sale of Shares
   
   On 21st December 2006 the following Directors sold shares in the Company:
   
   Michael Slade
   
   770,500 shares sold at 490.00p per share
   
   Nigel McNair Scott
   
   429,500 shares sold at 490.00p per share
   
   
4. Helical Bar plc Employee Share Ownership Trust (“ESOP”)
   
   On 21st December 2006 the Company’s ESOP holding of ordinary 1p shares reduced from 5,145,201 (5.4%) ordinary 1p shares to 4,374,701 (4.6%) ordinary 1p shares following the exercise of options and sale of shares by Michael Slade.
   
   
5. Directors’ Interests in Shares
   
   Following these transactions the Directors’ interests in shares are as follows:
   
   

   Director	Shares Held	Share Options	Performance Share Plan
   Michael Slade	12,685,627 (13.3%)	1,740,000	1,661,159
   Nigel McNair Scott	2,015,038 (2.1%)	761,665	944,475
   Gerald Kaye	979,900 (1.0%)	1,315,990	864,746
   Michael Brown	909,105 (1.0%)	1,065,985	864,746