A MINERAL water company set up less than a year ago is to double its production workforce as orders continue to flood in.

Harrogate Spa Water, in North Yorkshire, is making the move to cope with increasing demand from major UK supermarkets, hotel chains and restaurants as well as customers in the US and Hong Kong.

Sales and marketing director Paul Martin said: "We have achieved quite remarkable growth in our first year of production.

"Interest in Harrogate Spa water has increased greatly since we won the gold medal at the prestigious International Water Festival at Berkeley Springs in America earlier this year."

New customers the company has picked up include celebrity chef Brian Turner, who stocks the product in his restaurants.

The company's latest packaging format - a ten litre bag-in-a-box - has been selling well.

Mr Martin said: "We set out with the determination to revive the bottled water industry in Harrogate and to make it the number one brand, as it was in its heyday during the 1920s. We are making great inroads into the highly competitive bottled water market while increasing our contribution to the economy of Harrogate."

As a result, the company is recruiting six extra production workers. For details, call (01423) 730000.