THE UK’s largest single site frozen food storage and distribution businesses, that handles up to £5m of food each day, has bought an ex-airport fire tender to protect its 55-acre site.

Keith Boardall, chief executive of the the Reed Boardall Group at Boroughbridge, said: “We store and deliver frozen foods from manufacturers across Britain, Europe and further afield to all the UK’s bestknown supermarkets, operating round-the-clock, so we need always to keep the safety of our busy people, vehicles and buildings uppermost in mind.

“We handle more than 3,000 stock-keeping units every day, shipped nationwide by a fleet of over 160 refrigerated lorries – that’s well over 11,000 pallets per day, containing foods worth up to £5m, all through our Boroughbridge centre. Buying the fire tender is a sound safety investment.”

The six-wheeled Angloco tender, formerly used at Luton Airport, carries a reservoir of fireretardant foam which can be fired more than 70 metres via a roof-mounted pressure jet.

The vehicle – which, in common with Reed Boardall’s refrigerated lorries, has been emblazoned with its own polar bear cartoon figure – is kept on round-the-clock standby and is crewed by staff, mostly ex-firemen.

They are headed by Frank Appleton, who has been with the company since 1976 and spent much of that time as the retained chief fire officer of Boroughbridge.

As well as the pressure jet, the engine came fully equipped with hose reels and other equipment suitable for tackling all types of fire.

Tom Cassells, managing director of Reed Boardall Transport, thought it would be an ideal way to improve the safety of people and assets at the Reed Boardall site.

He said: “Our fire precautions have always been comprehensive, but on a big site like ours with moving vehicles, fuel storage tanks and round-the-clock activity, we decided to invest in something that could tackle fires large or small in a very robust fashion. This fire tender definitely does not muck about.”