HIGHLAND Spring Group has broken ground on a major factory extension to house a new production line at its Blackford site in Perthshire.

As previously reported, £16m is being invested as part of a business commitment to double production capacity in the next 12 months as the UK’s thirst for bottled water grows.

The move comes as Highland Spring expressed its confidence in the category with chief executive Les Montgomery, predicting a year of double-digit

growth.

The company has seen 9.4 per cent year-on-year growth in the last 52 weeks, against a category average of 8.7 per cent.

Mr Montgomery added: “The factory extension will increase capacity at our main Blackford site by 50 per cent, ensuring we are perfectly placed to meet demand for bottled water.”

The bottled water market is expected to reach in excess of 4.8 billion litres by 2020.