The Greene King brewery has announced it will close its Rayleigh storage depot because it needs a bigger and better distribution centre.

Up to 21 workers will be affected by the closure of the depot in Stadium Way.

The Suffolk-based brewery is opening a 60,000 sq ft distribution centre in Crayford, near Dartford, Kent.

Spokesman Frances Brace said it was not known how many jobs would go at Rayleigh.

She said: "We are expecting some of them to work at Crayford but we won't know for certain for a couple of months."

Greene King logistics manager Miles Vartan said: "Over the past three years, we've started supplying at least 1,500 more pubs.

"While this has been excellent for sales, it has put enormous pressure on the Rayleigh depot. We need a larger, better-equipped warehouse with spare capacity for future growth."

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