A BRICKMAKING company from near Easingwold says it has enjoyed one of the most successful years in its 30 year history - and its order book is full well into 2019.

David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade Brick Company, of Alne, said 2018 had been an excellent year despite all the political uncertainty surrounding Brexit, with contracts from as far away as Cornwall and Scotland.

“Significantly, our most lucrative work has been within the commercial property and education sectors, rather than housing, which had been our staple for a number of years," he said.

“Prestigious contracts that we completed during the past 12 months include the new Halifax Library, Pocklington School’s Art and Design Technology Centre, the House of Trembling Madness in York and the Westgate Centre in Oxford."

He said new projects for 2019 included a £300,000 contract to build a new library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, housing developments in central London and a significant restoration project at St Albans Cathedral.

He added that the firm, which employed 30 people, had invested in a new dryer, which would speed up the production process.