Families struggle as impact of Redcar closure starts to hit home

Hundreds of families in the North East are struggling to come to terms with the impact of the impending closure of the SSI steelworks plant in Redcar.

Remaining workers are due to be laid off on a rolling basis after the official receiver announced the blast furnace would be turned off, and the coke ovens powered down, as no "viable" offers from potential buyers had come forward to save the works.

At this time of year in particular, such news can hit hard, as many of the 2,200 families affected now look to a rather more frugal Christmas holiday than planned.

Father-of-two Paul Maven is among those employees now looking for work, as operations at the plant he had envisaged forging a career with start to wind down after 98 years.

He told ITV News at Ten he had been proud to have been part of tradition, and had planned to spend the next 30 or 40 years of his working life at the Teesside factory.

Now, he's fighting his former colleagues for new positions - with as many as 120 former Redcar workers applying at any one time.

His wife Anna said she had not slept since hearing the news that the plant had been earmarked for closure.

For them - and many others - free days out help them make ends meet, but with Christmas around the corner, they say they may have to resort to joint Christmas presents for their two daughters.

Video report by ITV News correspondent Dan Rivers: