A proud chapter of UK industrial history is coming to an end later as the last steel-making furnace on Teesside is turned off after working continuously for 150 years.

The giant Corus steelworks at Redcar is to be mothballed on Friday and 1,600 workers face losing their jobs.

Tata, the Indian firm that owns the site, insists it is seeking a buyer and the works are being mothballed.

But no-one knows whether the massive furnace will ever be lit again.

At a news conference after meeting Corus management, the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, wagged his finger at journalists who repeatedly asked if it was a tragic day for Teesside.

"It is not yet a tragedy because it is not closing," he said.

"It is a strong message to say to other potential investors that this is not a closure of the plant."

Corus says it has lost £150m running the furnace since customers pulled out last year, and blames them for the mothballing.

Retired welder George Duffield, enjoying a pint at lunchtime in the nearby Redcar and District Working Men’s Club, is not convinced.

A steelworker from the age of 15, he thinks poor management is to blame: "They’ve just said we don’t need that, you can go," he said.

"The lads in here, some of them have been there twenty five years. What are they going to do?"

Unions representing the 1,600 people who are likely to lose their jobs are threatening industrial action, but Corus is calling for restraint.

Unite's national officer for the steel industry Terry Pye said the mothballing of the plant was a "disgraceful charade".

A statement from the company said: "It is now time for the Trade Unions and Government to turn their attention to rebuilding the British economy, to reviving activity in the construction industry and to ensuring that there is a viable and sustainable future for manufacturing in the UK."

Mothballing the giant furnace will be a slow process, spread over more than two days.

The last of the raw materials will be fed in on Friday, and as the molten steel is let out at the bottom, the top of the furnace will empty and be gradually cooled.

As the material drops down, the massive pipes forcing superheated air into the furnace are expected to be turned off at around midnight on Saturday.

After 38 years at the Redcar works, Ron Armes is one of the workers shutting it down:

"It’s a very strange feeling," he said.

A grandfather of two boys, he is the third generation of his family to make steel on Teesside.

"It might sound silly, but I can’t sleep at night. When I go to bed at night, it’s affecting me."