TEESSIDE’S proud steel industry was today trying to come to terms with another hammer blow.

The devastating news that Corus plans to axe 428 jobs between four of its Teesside works has met with shock, dismay and sadness from politicians and steelworkers alike.

The bombshell news comes with the future of Redcar’s 2,000-plus worker Teesside Cast Products (TCP) site still up in the air.

:: HUNDREDS of job cuts announced for Teesside’s steel industry have been described as another blow for the region’s economy by business leaders.

Andrew Sugden, membership and policy director at the North East Chamber of Commerce, described the news as "a real blow" which underlined the gravity of the global steel industry slump.

:: A BILLINGHAM engineering firm has completed its first contract in China - hot on the heels of a trade visit to the country.

Corrosion engineering firm, Global Anodes UK, supply corrosion prevention equipment to several new-build projects.

The firm has been working closely with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) over the last two years to travel to China.

For more on these stories, see today's Evening Gazette