The Managing Director of Cleveland Bridge has left his job as the search goes on for a new owner at the crisis-hit business.

The Northern Echo understands that Chris Droogan had stepped further away from the key role over the last few weeks, but the administration team working inside the factory confirmed tonight that he formally left his position on Friday.

Droogan had been in the job for the last six years, alongside the other three members of the Executive team - Diane Boon, Director of Commercial Operations, Chief Financial Officer Phil Heathcock and Keith Shimmin, the Head of Operations.

Droogan's departure sheds a little more light on the possible future for more than 200 workers at the Yarm Road factory.

Read more: Production to restart at Cleveland Bridge

After days of speculation as workers waited for details about possible bidders and which parts of the operation they might be interested in, it was confirmed at the close of last week that production would restart.

The only things that stand in the way of the Yarm Road factory starting to make things again are agreeing terms with customers and signing off insurance arrangements.

It won’t mean the return of the whole workforce, but at least a handpicked team will be walking through the doors and clicking the ‘on’ switch once again.

The latest statement from the Joint Administrators, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, MPs Paul Howell and Peter Gibson, Darlington Council Leader Heather Scott and the GMB Union confirmed: “Staff required to fulfill the production requirements will be contacted and asked to return to work, while the remaining staff will likely continue to be furloughed as part of the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme.”

It added: “After discussions with clients regarding support for live projects, the administrators intend to restart production, subject to the formal agreement of terms with customers and finalisation of insurance arrangements.”

The vital search goes on for a new owner with the expertise to take the business forward, with Martyn Pullin, Partner at FRP and Joint Administrator of Cleveland Bridge UK, saying: “We continue to hold discussions with interested parties over the future of the business.

“We are working quickly and diligently to assess the viability of those approaches and will need to determine how they align with our objectives and duties.”