STAFF at the closurethreatened Corus plant have been reassured that the Government is trying to keep it open.

Minister for the North- East Nick Brown has been in talks with management and union bosses to try and work out a plan to secure contracts at the site, in Redcar, east Cleveland.

The possible mothballing of the company’s blast furnace and the potential for 3,000 redundancies at the site has seen the company working closely with MPs to try to develop a rescue package.

Mr Brown said: “Everybody is focused on trying to help to find work for the plant. Losing 80 per cent of business is a terrible blow, and it will be difficult to get through it.

“There are areas to explore, there are things that I can do to help and there is still hope. The first plan is to get work for the plant and keep it going – but that’s going to be a difficult thing to do.”

Geoff Waterfield, multiunion chairman at the Teesside works, said: “I think the talks went really well. Nick Brown was very positive. He said the Government is committed to try and do everything it can to help.

“He has extended the hand of help. If we can come up with ideas to save the plant he will do his best to help us deliver the plan.”

Last week, Redcar MP Vera Baird went to Italy to speak to the head of Italian firm Marcegaglia, which is part of the consortium that tore up a ten-year agreement signed in 2004 to take nearly 78 per cent of the Corus plant’s output.

She has urged the Corus bosses to re-open talks with the Italian firm in a bid to secure the plant’s future.