A CELEBRATED family firm which has earned plaudits from industry experts and businesses for its work is in line for an award.

Darwen based Gel-Clear, which is run by a dad and his two daughters, has created a unique tablet to destroy waste produced by refrigeration units - saving businesses big bills in maintenance costs.

Pauric Gaughan, who had 15-years experience in the drainage industry before establishing the company in 2012, said that he and his family were very pleased with the nomination.

He said: "I am very confidant that we have created a very good and trusted product.

"We're very pleased with the nomination and we look forward to the Hive Awards."

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 per cent.

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 with a Hive Business Award nomination in the family business category.