SIXTY new jobs are to be created near Selby as a food manufacturer invests in expansion.

The Brecks Company, which already employs about 60 people at Breighton Airfield in Bubwith, is investing £3 million in new manufacturing facilities, which will cause it to double in size.

The news comes as a welcome employment boost in Selby, where more than 100 staff at English Village Salads, in Camblesforth, are facing redundancy after the company lost a major contract with Asda, Focus DIY is closing down with the loss of 17 jobs and uncertainty looms over public sector jobs as Selby District Council restructures.

Building will start this summer on two 30,000 sq ft units and new technology after being backed by Yorkshire Bank’s Investing For Growth initiative.

The £10 million-turnover business produces snack bars and breakfast cereals and supplies cereal to large global confectionery businesses. It also produces meat-free sausages and burgers for household name retailers in the UK, Europe and the US, and supplies other meat-free food manufacturers.

James Hirst, founder and managing director of The Brecks Company, said they hoped the units would be operational next year.

He said: “The investment in new facilities and technology will enable us to stay at the forefront of the industry.

“On the cereals side, we will be developing cluster technology and, for meat-free, we will be expanding our product range and increasing capacity so as to maintain and grow our customer base. People’s quest for a healthier lifestyle is driving our growth as they eat cereal bars rather than less healthy alternatives.

“Meat-free products, where we manufacture all the ingredients, also offers medium to long-term environmental sustainability.”

The business has also developed a unique wood-smoking process which enables it to target products specially made for the German, Swiss and Dutch markets, where they are popular.

Michael Tew, of Yorkshire Bank, said: “The Brecks Company is a huge Yorkshire success story, a business at the global forefront of its sector.

We are pleased to be supporting them through our investing for Growth initiative and creating more badly-needed jobs in the private sector.”