A £4.5 million investment in Yorkshire over the past six months has brought rewards to north-east brewer Camerons.

The investments, consisting of two restaurants in Scarborough, a caf bar in Harrogate and a restaurant-pub in York were all successful and made contributions to the record half-year profits for parent group Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries of £20.3 million, am increase of 8.2 per cent.

Camerons director Jeremy Eaton said that all the new ventures - the Scarborough Fayre and the Poacher's Pocket in Scarborough, as well as a Merchant Stores caf bar in Harrogate and the conversion of the Carlton Hotel, Acomb, into the Carlton Tavern - were now popular and had generated 120 jobs between them.

Camerons, he said, was now seeking planning consent for a change of use of farm buildings on Oak View Farm at the junction of the A59 and A661 near Harrogate into a £1.5 million pub restaurant, creating 50 jobs.

Group chairman David Miller said that for the remainder of the year the emphasis would be on developing successful retail concepts like Poacher's Pocket, Merchant Stores and Varsity.

In line with the Camerons policy of good value food and drink, the company had now declared a "summer price freeze" in its pubs on all own-brewed brands until October. It would also continue its independent stand on fair measures, with a full pint guarantee.

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