Drinks giant Diageo is doubling production at its canning facility in Belfast with a £24.5 million investment.

The company is also investing £16 million in its bottling plant in Runcorn in England.

Diageo said the ramping up of production was required to meet growing demand for Guinness products in the domestic and export markets.

The expansion work at the two plants is to commence immediately with the additional production capacity set to come online next year.

Existing warehouses at the Belfast facility are being converted into a new packaging line capable of producing 72,000 cans an hour.

The Runcorn investment will upgrade its bottling line and expand warehousing capacity.

Aidan Crowe, operations director for beer at Diageo, said the £40.5 million investment would deliver a significant development of the company’s packaging facilities.

“The projects in Belfast and Runcorn will support our growth ambitions, helping us to deliver end-to-end product innovation, and reinforce our agility to meet demand and provide excellent service to our customers around the world,” he said.

Deirdre Delaney, operations manager at Diageo’s Belfast Packaging site, added: “This is an exciting time for our site in Belfast as we invest in our business to support the growth of our business.

“We contribute considerably to the local economy in Belfast and the £24.5 million investment will further support our supply chains and local communities.”