BREWER and pubs group Jennings Brothers last night pledged to continue expanding in the North-East and North-Yorkshire as it announced a 7.5 per cent growth in beer sales.

Jennings, based in Cockermouth, Cumbria, said sales of its lead brand Cumberland Ale surged by 24 per cent during the year to February.

The group said it was looking forward to further growth in the region. Jennings is planning to spend £5m on acquisitions and refurbishments of pubs across the North during the next 12 months.

About a quarter of the group's pubs are in rural parts of the North-East and North Yorkshire, with its latest acquisition at Dalton-on Tees, near Darlington.

Recent buys have also included The Winning Post, at Redcar, the Queens Head, in Cockfield, County Durham, The Bay Horse, in Catterick, The Royal Hotel, in East Loftus, North Yorkshire, and the Charlaw, in Chester-le-Street. It now has a total of 33 pubs in the region.

The group's pre-tax profits increased by 13.5 per cent to £2.9m during the year - slightly above some analysts' expectations - while turnover grew 5.4 per cent to £17.2m.

Jennings has 130 leased and tenanted pubs in northern England, extending from Cheshire and West Yorkshire to the Scottish borders.

Jennings bought nine pubs during the year - in line with its strategy of acquiring freehold sites in market towns, affluent suburbs and rural villages.

This tactic has minimised its exposure to the high street, where rents are high and chains compete aggressively by offering big discounts on drinks and food.

Jennings has also done well on the back of its connection with Hollywood blockbuster Calendar Girls. The brewers sponsored the original calendar from Rylstone Womens Institute, expecting a small print run. Instead it distributed more than 600,000 calendars for charity and had to take on three extra staff to cope with demand.