Deal signed to secure future of British Steel in Scunthorpe

A deal has been signed to secure the future of steelmaking in Scunthorpe.

The Chinese firm Jingye Group completed the buying process of the British Steel site this afternoon.

A condition of the sale was a cost cutting programme, including the loss of around 400 jobs.

The fate of thousands of workers has been hanging in the balance since British Steel went into liquidation last May.

Today though the Chinese firm, Jingye Group, completed its takeover.

The deal with Jingye will save around 3,200 jobs at Scunthorpe and Teesside, but 400 workers were told last week that they will be made redundant.

The sale secures the immediate future of the Scunthorpe steelworks, one of the last two blast furnace operations in the UK steel industry.

Commenting on the sale of British Steel to Jingye, Gareth Stace, UK Steel Director General, said: