Harrogate Water in £6.5m plant investment

The investment programme will increase its capacity by replacing the original glass bottle filling line is with a combination line, which can handle both glass and PET plastic production.

It complements an £8 million investment in PET production in 2014 which has driven company growth of more than 60 per cent in the last two years financial years.

Last year the business grew by 20 per cent and chief executive James Cain said the investment was to make sure the firm was able to keep up with demand.

He said: “Continuing strong demand in both home and export markets makes further investment essential to remain ahead of the curve. The new production line will provide us with the capacity and flexibility to meet customer needs and compete more effectively in high-volume markets.

“I think in a post-Brexit world we are seeing huge opportunities as people are hungry to buy British.”

Mr Cain said the company’s production facility is one of the most modern and environmentally efficient in Europe and is already a showcase plant for German bottling machine manufacturer Krones, which is installing the new production line.

“We have got a very lean and green facility here in a beautiful part of town.

“We are bringing more employment to the town as a result of this and increasing the awareness of the brand of Yorkshire.

“I am very confident in the business and its customers.

“This investment will help us make sure we always have plenty of stock and never let anyone down.”

Exports were boosted in 2016 by the launch of a new anti-roll bottle for the international air travel market, with sales surging to more than seven million bottles.

The firm is now Britain’s largest independent bottled water supplier and has built much of its success on Harrogate’s spa history, which dates back to 1571.