A NEW £5 million engineering factory has opened in Widnes, creating 25 jobs.

Hutchinson Engineering has invested in state of the art premises in Everite Road.

The company, which employs 93 people and three apprentices, is now looking to recruit more staff.

It is the only UK manufacturer of mid-wind turbine and has designed and manufactured structures for the telecommunications industry for more than 15 years.

Halton MP Derek Twigg saw the cutting edge technology as he toured the 4,500 square metre factory and spoke to employees.

Company officials said he was intrigued by the size of the towers and interested in the company's plans for growth.

He met workshop manager Lee Thomas, who has worked at the firm for 18 years after starting as a fabricator.

Mr Thomas said: "We’ve got a really good team here.

“The fact that over 30 per cent of our workforce have been with the company more than a decade is testament to that.”

Business development director Neal Scrivener added: “We are very busy at the moment with our mid wind towers proving very popular.

“We are rolling out our latest street works structure designs for the 4G networks across Britain.”