MORE than 50 jobs at the Minehead manufacturers Snazaroo have been saved.

The face and body paint firm in Mart Road was considering relocating from Somerset, due to a lack of space for the expanding company, when the county council stepped in to provide extra floor space.

The 21-year-old company has now moved into a new building, owned by Somerset County Council, at Minehead Enterprise Park.

The extra workspace will be used as a dispatch and assembly depot while the original site, just round the corner, continues to house the paint production and warehousing teams.

Cllr Brenda Maitland-Walker, Minehead's local member on the county council, said: “Minehead is the birthplace of Snazaroo and creates jobs for local people.

“The move means it is able to take on eight new staff and as work increases they hope many more jobs will be created.”

Snazaroo general manager Adrian Ryan, said: “Snazaroo has a terrific hard working, loyal and dedicated workforce and the move is vitally important to our survival.

“With all the assistance from the council and the building work they have provided, we have been able to keep the company where it belongs, in Minehead.”