An Australian start-up has tabled an 11th-hour rescue bid for collapsed North East battery business Britishvolt.

Recharge Industries said it lodged a late takeover bid today for the firm, which had plans to build a £3.8 billion gigafactory to make batteries near Blyth in Northumberland.

It comes a week after Britishvolt collapsed into administration and made the majority of its 300 workers redundant.

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The company appointed administrators at EY after failing to raise enough cash for its research and the development of its Cambois site.

Last week, administrators at EY said: “The joint administrators are assessing the options for realising the potential value in the business and assets of the company, including intellectual property and R&D assets, for the benefit of creditors.

“The administrators will subsequently implement an orderly closure and winding down of the company’s affairs, as required.”

But Recharge has now told the Australian Financial Review that it has made a non-binding takeover offer.

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The company, which is backed by New York investment firm Scale Facilitation, is moving forward with plans to build a similar battery factory in Geelong, near Melbourne.

David Collard, Scale Facilitation’s Geelong-born founder and chief executive, said a takeover of the British business would make strategic sense.

He said: “Strengthening our friends in the UK, especially when most others are kicking them when they’re down, is in our interest and definitely in the spirit of (Australia-UK-US security pact) Aukus.”