Stoke has missed chance to capitalise on its pottery heritage, says V&A boss

The Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke is under threat from proposed cuts. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

A world-class ceramics centre should be created in Stoke-on-Trent to capitalise on renewed interest in the subject from shows such as The Great Pottery Throw Down, the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum has said.

Tristram Hunt said a recent outcry over proposed council cuts to pottery museums in the city showed the growing level of interest in Britain’s ceramics industry and its heritage.