A NORTH Yorkshire industrial bag manufacturer has changed hands in a deal that will make it part of the largest firm in its field.

Storsack UK Ltd, in Bradford, has bought Dorton Packaging, which employs about 50 people at its site on the Dalton Airfield Industrial Estate, near Thirsk.

Dorton was founded in 1975 as a paper sack trading company. It now specialises in producing Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs) for the agricultural and chemical industries, turning out 150,000 a week. Storsack said the deal would pave the way for more jobs at the Dalton plant.

Simon Wildi, managing director of Storsack, said: "The acquisition of Dorton Packaging demonstrates our commitment to developing the UK manufacturing side of the business and brings together 100 employees across two sites in Bradford and Thirsk."