The moment Port Talbot's blast furnaces fell silent bringing to an end a chapter in Wales' history

The sun set over the town as traditional steel production at the UK's largest plant came to an end

This is the moment true, original steel production in Wales was brought to an end. As the sun set over the UK's largest steel plant in Port Talbot on Monday, blast furnace number four finally fell silent.

Plumes of white steam could be seen being vented from the furnace against the sunset for the last time just after 5pm, signalling the end of traditional steelmaking on the site. The move will see nearly 2,000 jobs lost at the plant, which will now build a smaller plant recycling previously-used steel.

A spokesperson for Tata confirmed the last iron had been "tapped" - the process of removing molten iron from the blast furnace. Without the blast furnaces supplying iron, the supporting heavy end plants were also shut off. Read what will happen next here.

The process of winding down operations at the final blast furnace had been underway for a number of days. Tata had warned residents they should expect 'whooshing' sounds and plumes of steam. Tata confirmed the last blast furnace at the site would be switched off, along with the remaining heavy-end operations on Monday, September 30.

Tata Steel UK chief executive Rajesh Nair said: "I am deeply conscious how difficult today is for everyone associated with our business. Throughout this transition we are doing everything possible to minimise the impact on all those who are affected by the changes we are making.

"Today marks a significant event in the history of iron and steelmaking in the UK as the legacy steelmaking assets in Port Talbot close, having reached their end of life. It is important at this juncture to pause, recognise and credit the huge contribution of the many thousands of people and the technologies that have sustained our industry and communities here for generations."

Tata says its £1.25bn investment, supported by £500k from the UK government, will support 5,000 jobs. But it will also see thousands of other jobs lost. And pioneering work to decarbonise original steel production will happen elsewhere in the world while a smaller electric arc recycling furnace is built in Wales producing lower grades of steel.

John Warman, an ex-mayor of Neath Port Talbot Council, who worked in the steel plant for nearly 30 years, said a "shadow of despondency" will hang over Port Talbot following the closure. He said: "I feel very sad, like a lot of my colleagues who are working there still and ex-colleagues. There's going to be a shadow of despondency that's going to hang over Port Talbot because of this.

"The blast furnaces and the quality of steel from the iron that they produced here was absolutely magnificent. It had a name, a name of quality, not only in Port Talbot, but throughout the world, where car makers used to get their steel from, and that's just going to disappear."

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