DRAINAGE specialist Gel-Clear is hoping for a hat-trick at this year's Hive Award.

The Darwen based firm has created a unique tablet to destroy waste produced by refrigeration units - saving businesses big bills in maintenance costs.

It has been nominated in the family business category, innovation award and now the Growing Business Award.

Pauric Gaughan, who had 15-years experience in the drainage industry before establishing the company in 2012, said everyone associated with the company were very pleased with the nominations.

In the UK, refrigerated display cabinets use around 5,800 GWh a year. This is over a third of all the electricity used for refrigeration in the food chain and costs around £500m per year.

Consistent use of Gel-Clear tablets has been proven to maximise plant efficiency by reducing electricity costs. In the firm's latest trial over a nine month period there was a reduction in the operational cost of more than 88%.

Last year the firm picked up the RAC Cooling Industry Award for the refrigeration product of the year.

Judges at RAC praised Gel-Clear's product as a “simple, well-researched solution, to a well-known and common problem.”

This year the firm is dreaming big again and hoping to take the award in each of the categories it has been nominated for.