A COMPANY which is a ‘world leader’ in diving technology and also provides the goggles for I’m A Celebrity TV jungle challenges is reporting an increase in sales.

Apeks Marine Equipment, which employs 140 at its base on Roman Road Industrial Estate in Blackburn, believes its year on year growth derived from increased exports around the globe.

The firm also has a link to the ITV show, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, with all the goggles used dispatched from Blackburn to Australia by the firm’s subsidiary Aqua Sphere.

The distinctive goggles are shipped from the Blackburn warehouse every year to be used on the ITV show, which is watched by more than 10 million viewers.

Apeks is the only vertically integrated manufacturer of diving regulators in the world, designing, testing and manufacturing all the components from raw materials in Blackburn.

The company now makes more regulators for UK divers than any other manufacturer and exports more than 85 per cent of its output.

Managing director, Landon Helsby, said: “Apeks is a well established manufacturing and distribution company that is proud to be producing some of the finest breathing apparatus in world. 2012 has proven to be a record year for the company and this is attributable to the highly motivated and long standing workforce that the company has nurtured.”

The firm is also an approved defence contractor for the armed forces including the British Navy and also manufactures equipment for the emergency services including coast guards, police and fire services.