A TUNNEL boring machine weighing 1,800 tonnes which will be used to construct a 23-mile tunnel at Whitby has arrived in the UK.

The tunnel will be used by Sirius Minerals to transport up to 20 million tonnes a year of polyhalite, a naturally occurring multi-nutrient fertiliser, from Whitby to Teesside.

An underground conveyor belt will connect the company’s new multi-billion pound mine near Whitby, to a purpose-built processing and shipping facility in the shadows of the former Redcar Steelworks,said a spokesman.

"From there, the final product will be shipped to customers all around the world.

"The main parts of the 225-metre-long machine arrived at AV Dawson’s Heavy Lift Port on the Teesside Docks on Friday morning after a seven-day journey across road, river and sea, from a specialist factory in western Germany."

He said tunnel contractor STRABAG, which also worked on the 35 mile Gotthard Base Tunnel under the Alps, had already recruited 400 workers to excavate the tunnel, with three quarters of them coming from the local area.

They are part of a 900 strong workforce currently involved in building the project, a figure that will have grown to 1,700 by the time the mineshafts reach first polyhalite in 2021.

"A further 2,500 long term direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created when the mine is fully operational."

Gareth Edmunds, External Affairs Director at Sirius Minerals, said: “The arrival of our first tunnel boring machine represents an exciting milestone for the company and the region.

"We continue to make good progress delivering our world class project, as we invest in the local area and create jobs and supply chain opportunities.”