Tata Steel UK chief executive Rajesh Nair said he is conscious of how ‘difficult’ it will be for everyone as production comes to an end.

The final blast furnace at Port Talbot's Tata steelworks will shut down today, marking the end of an era at the site. After days of winding down, blast furnace four will stop operating on Monday, September 30, along with other associated iron and steelmaking assets at the site, in a move which will trigger mass redundancies

UNIONS vowed to “never stop fighting” for Port Talbot jobs, as Tata Steel began shutting its final blast furnace today. In a devastating blow to communities in south Wales, nearly 2,000 jobs will be lost at the plant in the coming months, and thousands more in the wider community that relies on the steelworks.

There will around 2,000 direct job losses at the steelworks as a result of the move, plus a huge number of indirect losses in businesses and contractors linked to the site

People should expect to see "red plumes of steam" coming from the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot as the final blast furnace is turned off. Work to close the blast furnace has been ongoing for a number of days and could be complete by 5pm tonight (September 30).

Today marks the end at one of the biggest steelworks in the world as the last blast furnace at Port Talbot in Wales shuts down, leaving it unable to make its own steel.

The last remaining blast furnace in Port Talbot will stop producing steel on Monday, ending the traditional method of steelmaking in south Wales. Tata Steel is expected to remove the last usable liquid iron from blast furnace 4 on Monday afternoon.

For Jon, there is a strange sense of déjà vu, having documented the fictional demise of a steelworks in the town as a production photographer for the Michael Sheen drama The Way last year.