Raw materials secured by the Government will be transported to British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant on Tuesday to keep its blast furnaces burning.

The Government has taken control of British Steel and are facing a race against time to get material such as coking coal and iron ore to the site.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit the port in Immingham, North Lincolnshire, as supplies from two ships are unloaded and transported to the plant.

The materials, sent from the US, are enough to keep the furnaces running for weeks, the Department for Business and Trade said, adding that they have been paid for out of its existing budget.

It comes after Downing Street said the Government was “confident” it would be able to secure the products necessary to keep the site running, and that work was ongoing to get a “steady pipeline” of materials.

A third ship with coking coal and iron ore is on its way to the UK from Australia after a legal dispute between British Steel and Chinese owner Jingye was resolved.

Mr Reynolds said: "We will always act in the interest of working people and UK industry.

"Thanks to the work of those at British Steel, and in my department, we have moved decisively to secure the raw materials we need to help save British Steel.

"Our industries depend on UK steel and – thanks to our Plan for Change – demand is set to shoot up: helping build the 1.5 million homes, railways, schools and hospitals we need to usher in a decade of national renewal."