Thwaites has poured away beer and been forced to close its historic Blackburn brewery after the site was ransacked by travellers.

The travellers caused an estimated £100,000 worth of damage before they were persuaded to leave the site by police. The scale of damage made it impossible for brewing to continue.

Thwaites will now move production of its beers to a new £12m HQ, four miles away at Mellor Brook, which is due to open later this year.

The company’s chief executive, Rick Bailey, told the Lancashire Telegraph: “It’s really upsetting that 211 years of brewing at our site in Blackburn has ended in this fashion.