A MINERAL water firm has secured Government funding towards its £320,000 expansion plan.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has contributed to the scheme by the water bottling and water cooler company, Seaton Spring Water, of Seaham, County Durham.

The company aims to more than double its annual extraction of pure spring water from beneath the east Durham countryside to more than 400,000 gallons a year within the next two years, safeguarding jobs and creating more.

The Government grant allows the company to start on the expansion and improvements of its present warehousing and bottling facilities, with the project planned to end by the middle of next year.

The company, which is owned and run by brothers Martin, Gordon and Colin Bulmer, began extracting from a well on the family's land at the Stotfold Farm pumping station in 1999, and has since won several awards for the quality and standards of its bottling and distribution.

The 430ft well and substantial buildings were built by the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company almost 100 years ago.

In the past three years, Seaton Spring Water has become an established supplier of natural water and water coolers to homes and businesses throughout the North-East.