EAST Lancashire brewery Daniel Thwaites has invested £700,000 in an upgrade of its bottling operation.

Bosses at the Blackburn brewery have modernised the existing bottling line at their site in Eanam.

The move has already doubled productivity and led to the creation of three full-time jobs.

Ian Bearpark, Thwaites’ production director, said: “This is a significant development for our business.

“Until recently, we were contracting out some of our products, including LCL lager, because our bottling line was not equipped to cope.

“However, thanks to this upgrade, we have now been able to take the whole bottling process completely in-house, which is a major step forward.”

The new bottling line features a 20-head bottle rinser, 28 filling heads and a six-head crowner.

It is capable of filling a range of bottles, from nips (170ml) to 750 ml at a rate of up to 4,200 per hour.