One of the youngest breweries in East Sussex is gearing up for what’s promising to be a record-breaking year.

Three Acre brewery, based near Heathfield, continues to invest in new plant and machinery to increase production of its ales in an effort to keep up with continually growing demand.

As part of the expansion, extra settling tanks have been added. Now the third new tank in the past few months has been installed.

Head brewer Jamie Newton said: “We are seeing unprecedented demand for our hand-crafted beers and working hard to fulfil orders.

“Our Christmas trade was well beyond all expectations, with a six-fold increase year-on-year as we saw buoyant sales to both pubs and direct sales in bottles, mini casks and beer boxes.”

The new year sees no let-up in demand, such that in the first week of this month sales matched those for the entirety of last February for what seems set to be a bumper year.

Marketing director Chester Broad said: “It’s not just within Sussex that our beers are being enjoyed.

“Already this year we have supplied pubs as far away as Manchester and Norwich. All over the UK, we're seeing serious demand for our traditional recipes with a modern twist, with drinkers increasingly looking for craft quality.”

Further expansion includes plans for new beers and a taproom in Uckfield.

“We are ensuring that, while increasing output we maintain quality. That's the hardest, but most crucial thing to do as a brewery, but we'll make sure we don't miss a beat,” said Broad.