SPRING water drawn from deep beneath the County Durham countryside is helping three brothers move away from arable farming.

Gordon, 61, and his brothers Colin, 58, and Martin Bulmer, 56, set up Seaton Spring Water in 1999 as a sideline, but such has been the success of the product they plan to have given up arable farming by the end of the year.

Growing volumes of Seaton Spring Water and coolers are being provided to local authorities, schools, NHS Trusts, offices and shops across the region.

Earlier this year, the company was awarded a certificate of excellence by the Bottled Water Cooler Association for achieving a quality rating of 99.4 per cent for the water drawn from its well, which is more than 430ft deep.

Analysis of the well, which is more than 100-years-old, has shown it to be high in calcium and low in sodium.

Marketing manager Andy Grantham said: "The well and associated buildings, used for bottling and distribution, were formerly owned by the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company, which in its heyday supplied 1.2 million litres of water every day to the region's homes and businesses.

"However, following the opening of the Kielder and Derwent reservoirs, the well lay unused, until the Bulmer brothers set up Seaton Spring Limited in 1999."

The business has started a Department of Trade and Industry-backed £320,000 expansion programme, which has seen the modernisation of some of the older facilities, built in the early part of the last century, and the introduction of a bottling building. The grant has also enabled the brothers to expand their fleet of vehicles.

The business has just taken on its 11th member of staff and the brothers hope to have more than doubled that number, and the amount of water they supply, within the next three years.

Martin, who still works on the farm established by his grandfather, Herbert John Bulmer, in 1909, expects to have left farming after this year's harvest.

He said: "There has been such a downturn in the industry that even a 500-acre farm such as we have is no longer viable.

"I'll be the last of the three of us to call it a day, but we all see Seaton Spring as the business of the future."

Gordon and Colin have given up interests in haulage, fuel distribution and fishing tackle to concentrate on the business.

Sales of Seaton Spring include a contract to supply and replenish water coolers at 60 sites operated by City of Sunderland Council, and have more than doubled during the past three years.

The company makes fortnightly deliveries, replacing empty bottles and water coolers.

Mr Grantham said: "There is much greater awareness of the importance of pure drinking water nowadays, and its beneficial effects in schools, factories, offices and shops.

"We point out to customers that water coolers provide a cost-effective incentive because they reduce the amount of time spent away from work making tea and coffee, prevent the tiredness, headaches and loss of concentration caused by dehydration, and help overcome difficult working conditions."

"We have become the latest member of the regional speciality food group, Northumbria Larder, and although we are still local to the North-East at the moment, we hope to extend the availability of our spring water to other parts of the UK."