Workmen have moved on to the site at Camerons Brewery in Hartlepool where eight massive vessels will be installed.

The Mail has learned that the vessels could be installed by the end of next month.

They will hold beer and lager – each capable of storing 350,000 pints.
They will contribute to the brewery's capacity increasing from 375,000 barrels to 800,000 barrels.

Brewery bosses have confirmed that workmen are on site as part of the latest stage of the project.

Camerons marketing manager Yousef Doubooni said: "This is the preparatory work before the tanks come in. The workmen are getting the piping ready.

"It is the ongoing work in preparation for the new vessels which will come towards the end of October."

The plan to install the vessels is only one stage of the Camerons plan.

It also plans to expand the number of pubs it owns from 68 now to 150.

Bosses will reopen the redundant Dalton Lodge and invest £500,000 in it in time for the Tall Ships' Races coming to town in 2010.

Twenty new jobs will be created by the brewery expansion and the same number of temporary contract posts while the production capacity is increased.

Chris Soley, Camerons' director and general manager exclusively told the Mail in June: "For Hartlepool, this is something that does not happen every day in particular when people see that we are in the middle of a recession.

"We are a bit of a sleeping giant. A lot of people don't know what is happening behind these doors."

The new 33ft high vessels are needed as Camerons has clinched contracts to supply products such as Kronenbourg 1664, Fosters lager, John Smiths beer, Cobra beer, and Kestrel Super Strength lager.

Bosses say the increase in production will mean more spin-off work for companies which supply it with carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other supply services.

The new permanent jobs would be created in areas including production, planning and administration.