A SPECIALIST pipe manufacturer in Hampshire is undergoing a £1m expansion programme and refurbishment.

Romsey firm CPV Ltd will be increasing its 8.5-acre base in East Wellow and employing an additional six people, including two apprentices to its 40-man team, after seeing an increase in sales for all its products.

Founded in 1948, the firm makes tubing which can handle extremely hot, cold or corrosive liquids.

It also specialises in pipes for an environmentally-friendly form of energy known as district heating, in which a centralised boiler feeds a number of homes and businesses.

Already popular in Scandinavia, it has seen an increase in demand in the UK.

Managing director Mark Whettall said: “I realise that we are very fortunate to be in a position of needing to expand our business during these tough economic times – but the growth in the low carbon energy sector is really bucking the trend that most other industry sectors are experiencing.

“This means that we have had to scale-up our project and engineering teams to support this additional work – complete with the remodelling and refurbishment of our offices, training and presentation suites.”