Geoffrey Cox, the MP for West Devon and Torridge, was in Princetown on Friday to commission a new fermentation vessel at the Dartmoor Brewery.

He was joined by Councillor Philip Sanders from Tavistock Town Council and Richard Stevenson from Lloyds Bank.

The installation and commissioning of the £50,000 fermentation vessel is the latest stage of the development of the Dartmoor brewery.

The new vessel which holds 25,000 pints, is needed as Dartmoor real ale sales continue to grow fast in Devon and beyond.

The brewery can now brew 3.5 million pints a year of Dartmoor IPA, Legend and its flagship brand Jail Ale.

The new fermentation vessel is the twelfth to be installed in the brewery allowing beer to be stored for a week before going into casks and then out to local pubs.

Tim McCord the brewery's managing director said: 'We are delighted to welcome Geoffrey to the brewery once again, not only to commission the new vessel but also recognise the continued success of the brewery, its brands and most importantly staff.'

Mark Shackleton, sales director at Dartmoor Brewery, added: 'The fermentation vessel is where we produce the alcohol in the beer.

'The yeast is added to the beer in the fermenting vessel where it converts the malt sugars  into alcohol.

'This process takes about five days, after which the beer is ready to be casked and sent off to the pub.'

Geoffrey Cox said: 'It is always a pleasure to be involved in something which signifies a growth in a local business, and I am sure the very fine ales produced, such as Dartmoor and Jail Ale, are enjoyed by many as well as me.'

'The brewery is a fantastic local success story, clearly doing so well in its business that further capacity is needed to meet the growing demands.

'That is surely good news in these tough times. Not only does the brewery employ 11 people, from deliverers to brewers to office support, but also provides an excellent advertisement for the local area.'