Jennings brewery in Cockermouth to close with the loss of five jobs

Established as a family concern back in 1828, the original Jennings brewery was located in the village of Lorton

A nearly 200-year-old brewery is closing with production of specialist beers being moved to a different site.

The Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis have been blamed for the closure of the Jennings brewery in Cockermouth, Cumbria, next month.

Owner Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company said five jobs would be lost.

Production of Cumberland cask ale and bottled beer will be moved 170 miles away to Martston's Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.

Established as a family concern in 1828, the original Jennings brewery was located in the village of Lorton, approximately two miles from its current location.

In 1874, having outgrown the site, the brewery moved to the town of Cockermouth, situated on the edge of the Lake District National Park.

The nearly 200-year-old brewery survived being flooded in 2009

Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company CEO Paul Davies said: "We're incredibly proud of the team at Jennings brewery and our priority over the coming weeks will be to ensure they have the support they need as we enter a period of consultation.

"We understand the great affection the local community has for the brewery and its place as part of the UK's brewing heritage.

"We are pleased to continue brewing Cumberland cask by moving production to the historic Marston's Brewery in Burton, which has a fantastic track record producing traditional cask beers."

He added that the brewery had operated below capacity for a number of years and said closure had been a "difficult decision".

"We understand this news will be very difficult for our team at Jennings and disappointing to many other colleagues, consumers and customers," Mr Davies said.