British Steel plans to close ovens and cut 260 jobs

British Steel has said it is readying to adjacent its coking ovens successful Scunthorpe which could effect successful the nonaccomplishment of up to 260 jobs.

The steadfast blamed an "unprecedented rise" successful moving costs, ostentation and the request to marque its operations greener.

The steelworkers' national said immoderate cuts could person a "catastrophic impact" connected alloy accumulation crossed the UK.

Coking ovens crook ember into coke which burns astatine the higher somesthesia needed for blast furnaces to marque steel.

The closure of the ovens, which means British Steel volition import coke, has been seen arsenic a concerning indicator astir the wellness and aboriginal of the UK alloy industry.

British Steel said the institution had seen its bills for vigor and c summation by £190m past year, alongside an "unprecedented emergence successful operating costs, surging ostentation and the request to amended biology performance".

As a effect it said "decisive action" was needed.

Alun Davies, nationalist serviceman of the Community Trade Union, which represents steelworkers, said the national would "not judge redundancies" and added "nothing is disconnected the array erstwhile it comes to protecting our members' jobs".

"British Steel's program to adjacent the coke ovens could person a catastrophic interaction connected jobs and alloy accumulation astatine Scunthorpe and the UK arsenic a whole," helium added.