A DAIRY delivering 370,000 litres of a milk a week has invested in a new fleet of compact vehicles to help its expansion plans.

Greencroft Milk Supplies of Middlesbrough delivers to both wholesale and domestic customers in its home town as well as to Newcastle, Durham, Scarborough and Whitby.

The company has also been active in Cumbria and, following its recent acquisition of North Lakes Foods of Penrith, is looking to expand in the county.

To help with its growth, the company has bought 26 Fuso Canter 3C13s light trucks from North-East Mercedes-Benz dealer Bell Truck and Van, which also has the franchised network for the Japanese company in Great Britain.

Half of the fleet have platform bodies by Robinson Truck Bodyworks, of Swalwell, Gateshead, onto which are fitted single-temperature refrigerated box bodies built by Greencroft itself.

The vehicles, which have roller shutter doors on both sides, are used to deliver milk and other dairy products to convenience stores, bakeries, caterers, nursing homes and the like.

The remaining Canters have short wheelbases and RTB dropside bodies which are rented to franchised, self-employed milkmen, who make doorstep deliveries.

Mick Doyle, Greencroft managing director, said: "It’s a proper little truck and definitely more substantial than the vehicles we were using previously.

"Yet it’s also compact and manoeuvrable enough for operation on residential estates, where our milkmen make many of their deliveries.”

He said the vehicles have proved popular with their drivers and milkmen.