HOT metal production records have been smashed by a Redcar blast furnace.

Staff at Redcar Blast Furnace at the Corus site broke previous weekly records by producing 67,117 tonnes of hot metal in seven days.

The performance, a milestone for the furnace, also included a new daily high of 9,771 tonnes produced on Saturday, February 12.

This is the equivalent of approximately 15,000 mini cars being produced by the furnace over 24 hours.

Manager Ian Gofton said: "This is a huge achievement for the blast furnace.

"It builds on the recent success of the 95 days uninterrupted production record set in December last year.

"We are very proud of our achievement."

Corus is one of the world's largest metal producers with an annual turnover of £8bn.

It has major operating facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Norway and Belgium and employs 48,500 workers in over 40 countries worldwide.

Thousands of jobs at Corus were saved last year following the announcement of a ten-year agreement in December.

The move ended nearly two years of uncertainty for 1,700 workers at the Redcar plant and helped to safeguard about 4,500 more jobs across the region.