Bradford-based Seabrook Crisps has seen the amount of bags it sells boom as people turn to the snack for comfort during times of economic hardship.

Sales director Nick Ripley said the volume of crisps sold had risen by 46 per cent in the year up to December 2010, outstripping figures for the rest of the industry.

The snack manufacturer, which last week saw the launch of its new Goodbye salt, Hello flavour range, has said the growth has been aided by a rise in demand in the south of England.

Mr Ripley said: “That is following a couple of years of very strong growth. We would probably say we are the fastest growing brand in the marketplace.

“Going back a few years Seabrook was probably very much seen as a regional brand, but it has grown in distribution outside of our heartland.

“There’s a massive increased interest in the product being stocked in the south. Tesco, a couple of years ago, would have stocked it on a more regional basis, but are now stocking nationally, as are Asda.”

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