Geoff Taylor, chairman of the Save our Steel Heritage group, which wants to retain the core of the furnace and illuminate it at night as a showcase for the area’s long and proud iron and steelmaking history, said: “We feel this has been a whitewash and are extremely disappointed at both the conclusion and how the process has been handled.” Mr Taylor said a report prepared by the task force had “no substance, no reference to documents used in its preparation and is very lightweight”, adding: “The people of Teesside deserve better than this and we are committed to seeking answers and appropriate scrutiny on their behalf.”