Communities across Britain have been shattered by the loss of more than 6,000 jobs in a massive cutback by Britain biggest steel-maker, Corus.
Corus was criticised by government ministers, politicians, unions and workers after it ended weeks of speculation by spelling out radical measures to stem heavy losses.
The government urged the Anglo-Dutch firm to reconsider its decision, with the Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr Stephen Byers, saying that he shared the anger of workers.
Unions said it was one of the darkest days for the once mighty steel industry, which would be left with just 22,000 workers after the latest round of cuts.
Wales will be hardest hit, with 1,340 redundancies at the huge plant in Llanwern, near Newport, in south Wales. The nearby factory at Ebbw Vale will close altogether with the loss of 780 jobs, while redundancies will also hit factories at Shotton in North Wales and at Redcar in Teesside.
Mr Byers said it was a "bitter blow" to the workers and communities affected.
"Corus should think again and instead work with the trade unions, the government and the Welsh Assembly to identify alternatives," he said.
Union leaders, told the grim news at a meeting at Corus's London head office, said the company, which faced intense political pressure to hold back the jobs axe, was ripping the heart from the industry.
Mr Bob Shannon, national officer for the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, said: "Corus has kept us in the dark, then hit us for six.
"They have taken the heart out of our industry, shattering the workforce and their communities. Corus has behaved like the mill owners of Victorian Britain."
The company said there had been a lack of growth in UK demand for steel, which had been made "dramatically worse" by the weakness of the euro, resulting in "very significant losses".
The chairman of Corus, Sir Brian Moffat, personally briefed Mr Byers about the scale of the redundancies before an announcement was made to the stock market.
The company confirmed that iron and steel-making operations at Llanwern would end and there would be line closures at Shotton.
The coil plate mill at Teesside will close and the factory at Bryngwyn in south Wales will also close.
Corus said the changes would be completed during 2001, while Ebbw Vale would close by mid-2002.
Union leaders won an assurance that Corus will not make any workers redundant for two weeks to allow further talks over the planned cutback.
Meetings will be held over the next few days and workers will be consulted to try to find alternatives to the redundancies. More talks will be held with Corus on February 14th - St Valentine's Day.
Union officials would not rule out the prospect of industrial action if Corus cannot be persuaded to scale back the cuts.
Mr Michael Leahy, general secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, said: "British workers have sacrificed year after year to give the company the best productivity levels in the world. Today Corus is stabbing those same British workers in the back.
"We are not prepared to sit back and let Corus switch production to Holland and invest elsewhere in the world while cutting back in the UK."
Mr John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB union, said the behaviour of Corus had been "nothing short of disgusting", adding: "They have effectively given us less than 14 days to save our members' jobs. The British steel industry is now on the verge of a St Valentine's Day massacre."
A spokesman for the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, said: "Corus should look again at whether the scale of these announcements is appropriate."