A FIRM which supplied material for Blackburn’s £66million Mall has cemented its future in East Lancashire.

CEMEX, which is also providing concrete for the Building Schools for the Future scheme, has spent £1million upgrading its ready-mix plant in Stanley Street.

The plant, built 42 years ago, has been transformed with a new design hopper and wider conveyor belt feeding materials into the mixer to maximise production and reduce energy consumption.

It also boasts a system where rain and waste water are harvested through a 30,000 litre tank, recycled and used in the production of the concrete.

The Mayor of Blackburn Coun Karimeh Foster declared the new IMER plant officially open during a ceremony. She was joined by Year Six children from Daisyfield Primary School, representatives from construction firms and council chiefs.

As well as looking at the plant, guests had the chance to climb into the cab of a cement mixer truck to see the road from the driver's perspective. The large trucks are fitted with extra mirrors to enable drivers to spot cyclists and pedestrians who get too close.