A LEADING leisure complex has agreed a multi-million pound deal to help reduce its carbon footprint.

Award-winning Crow Wood Leisure has teamed up with Massachusetts firm EuroSite Power to make almost £2.5m worth of improvements to its gym, spa, and restaurant in Bur- nley.

A new combined heat and power (CHP) system at the club could save up to 450 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – equivalent to taking 93 cars off the road for 12 months.

Andrew Brown, Burnley-born owner and director of Crow Wood, said the system offered considerable environ-mental benefits when comp-ared with electricity from the grid, and conventional boiler systems.

He said: “EuroSite Power’s offer was compelling – no up-front investment from us, and the club only pays for the en-ergy used. We also avoid the operating, and maintenance, costs of the CHP system and, best of all, the energy prod-uced is priced lower than ex-isting and future utility costs, providing immediate and on-going cost savings.

“With the operation of an on-site utility, the club is now also contributing to the qual-ity of the environment with its reduction in carbon em-issions.”

The system will also provide extra security at the 100-acre site as the CHP system will be configured to supply standby power in the event of a power cut.

Paul Hamblyn, managing director of EuroSite Power, said: “The addition of Crow Wood Leisure as a customer confirms the strength of our offer to the leisure sector in the United Kingdom. As a 200kw solution, the system being deployed is double the size of those systems already operating within our fleet.”

Mr Brown set up Crow Wood, which now employs more than 140 people, in 2001 after the sale of his family business, equipment company FH Brown.