Seafood firm to create 300 jobs

Cumbrian Seafoods, based at Maryport, said it looked at 19 different locations in the North before choosing Seaham for the plant, which will process shellfish. It is due to open on 13 August and the firm has begun to look for staff. Peter Vassallo, head of the company, said: "We looked at 19 sites between Doncaster and Amble and chose Seaham for its geographical location, being close to the depots of two leading customers, and the availability of labour. "We will be creating a new centre of excellence within the company. "We are increasing line speeds by three fold on our current systems, and will be introducing the latest equipment to provide the ultimate quality assurance checks," he said. The new plant will be environmentally friendly with freezers running on ammonia to reduce the carbon footprint. The £10m investment at Seaham is being backed by One Northeast.