A demolition contractor has completed the groundwork for a Lancashire manufacturing site's 'multi-million-pound expansion.'

J Freeley carried out the demolitions at Filtrox's Barnoldswick site, an international company specialising in liquid filtration.

The 18-month project, divided into three phases, began with asbestos removal, followed by the demolition of a warehouse and a large part of the existing factory.

With the live plant situated within J Freeley's working area, scaffolding was installed to protect the operational equipment, including filtration tanks.

Lee Waring, global Capex project manager at Filtrox, said: "This was a highly sensitive project in a very busy industrial site.

"J Freeley managed and carried out the works to an extremely high standard.

"They worked around our stoppages and the site team were professional, highly experienced and easy to deal with."

The project forms part of an investment plan which aims to increase the site’s capacity by 50 per centThe project forms part of an investment plan which aims to increase the site’s capacity by 50 per cent (Image: Supplied)

The third and final phase saw J Freeley demolish offices and modular buildings.

Between phases two and three, the contractor also demolished a former NHS clinic next to the site, acquired by Filtrox as part of its expansion plans.

Michael Freeley, director at J Freeley, said: "Barnoldswick is the largest site in the Filtrox global network, so we were surrounded by live buildings and specialist equipment.

"Stringent management was essential to ensure there was no negative impact on the company’s operations."

This project is part of an investment plan to increase the site’s capacity by 50 per cent.

Filtrox is replacing older buildings with multi-storey structures to increase usable floor space.

Production capacity is also set to increase, alongside additional converting, packaging, and warehousing facilities, as well as new offices and laboratories.