FIFTY workers are getting factory jobs thanks to the national craze for drinking more bottled water.

Family-owned manufacturing company Ebac, of Bishop Auckland, is taking on new production staff on the back of increasing worldwide sales for its new product - the world's first home water cooler.

Chairman John Elliott expects the cooler, brand named Eddy, to prove one of the most popular new appliances since the microwave oven.

Selling in the UK for £79.95, it cools six-litre bottles at a time and stands on the kitchen worktop, allowing owners to buy larger, cheaper packs and not use up space in the fridge.

The extra jobs will increase Ebac's workforce by 15 per cent to 350, bucking the national downturn in manufacturing jobs.

Founded in 1972, the company is already the European market leader for commercial water coolers and a brand leader in domestic and industrial dehumidifiers.

Mr Elliott said Ebac was competing with companies from all over the world and winning, unlike other manufacturers such as Black and Decker and country coat maker Barbour. He said: "Our view is that UK firms can succeed in manufacturing provided they invest in people, products and processes.

"Companies that move overseas often incur costs elsewhere that cancel out the savings offered by reduced labour costs.

"Ebac is like a family, we're all under the same roof and we all depend on each other. At the end of the day we deliver what the customer wants.

"This straightforward approach to business served British industry well in the most prosperous times in our history, we are confident it will continue to deliver further success at Ebac.

"Our orders are shipped to places including Hong Kong, the USA, mainland Europe, the middle east and South Africas well as in the UK. We place a high priority on product quality and value."

More than a billion litres of mineral water will be sold in the UK this year, with every resident drinking 27 litres - which is well behind the average Italian's consumption of 120 litres.