Auto firm confirms £2m expansion

Almost 70 new jobs are being created on Teesside with the £2m expansion of a automotive firm.

TMD Friction UK Ltd is adding 68 jobs to its 296 workforce in Hartlepool.

The firm, which has been in the town since 1984, secured a £249,000 grant from regeneration agency One NorthEast to bolster the £2m expansion project.

The investment will help increase the production of brake pads, for domestic and motor racing cars, from 20 million to 25 million a year.

Gerard Doyle, TMD managing director, said: "By investing in new machinery, we can increase plant capacity and create more opportunities within the region.

"This will have a great impact on the future development of our site."

Ian Williams, director of business and Industry at One NorthEast, added: "It is really important to help keep this type of manufacturer in the region, and indeed the UK."