A £2.5 MILLION investment programme has been brought forward to help meet growing world demand.

Tensar International Ltd is spending the cash on its two Netlon factories in Blackburn and expects extra jobs will be created from the expansion programme.

Most of the investment will be at the Shadsworth site which is being extended to double production capacity.

The expansion programme has been brought forward in response to growing demand and a DTI grant.

Netlon and Tensar products are used in a huge range of applications from nets for gardening to special grids used in road building. The firm also operates a major overseas licensing division.

Its two Blackburn sites employ more than 350 people and rapid growth in demand has seen the company's turnover jump from under £4 million in the early 1980s to almost £33 million last year.

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