MEETING the demand from thirsty customers during the heatwave has been keeping workers at Harrogate Spa Water.

They have been working flat out to keep their customers cool as temperature levels have soared.

But they found time to take the town's Mayor and Mayoress on a VIP tour of their £3m plant on Harlow Moor Road.

Councillor Ian Galloway and his wife, Jean, were briefed on the heritage of Harrogate Spa Water before viewing the bottling machinery in action.

Production has reached record levels at the plant recently to meet the overwhelming demand for bottled water during the heatwave.

The company, only established in May 2002, has secured listings in most of the major supermarkets, including Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

It supplies water to motorway service stations, leading hotels and restaurants and specialist department stores such as Selfridges.

Harrogate Spa Water is also exported to Hong Kong and America and is available on flights all over the world as part of a new contract with specialist drinks company Juiceworks.

Paul Martin, managing director of Harrogate Spa Water, arranged the guided trip to give the mayor an insight into the firm's work during his time in office.

"Extracting water from rocks 150 feet below the ground and getting it bottled for the supermarket shelves is a complex business," said Mr Martin.

"I hope the tour has given them a better understanding of what makes Harrogate Spa the premium brand it is today."