UNTIL relatively recently, the history of Camerons' Lion brewery was fairly stable.

But a succession of takeovers and closure threats have marked the past decade.

Camerons became a limited business, in Hartlepool, Teesside, in 1894, and the Lion flourished.

In 1975, the group was taken over by shipping concern Ellermans, which sold its brewing interests to the Barclay brothers, in 1982.

In turn, these assets were acquired by Brent Walker Leisure Group, in 1988. But, after running up huge debts, after just three years Brent Walker put Camerons up for sale.

A management buy-out bid was beaten when Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries (W&BD) bought the package.

The new owners signalled job losses, and the Hartlepool workforce was halved from 400.

In 1998, staff faced the axe again, after W&BD made a hostile takeover bid for Midlands rival Marstons, which countered and threatened to close the Teesside operation.

In the end, W&BD won, but it overstretched itself at a time when everyone else began to get out of regional brewing.

Last year, as part of major restructuring, W&BD decided to sell Camerons, leaving Castle Eden poised to take it over.

An alternative would have seen the Lion brewery closed and the site sold, so yesterday's sale announcement appears again to have secured the name's future.