ONE of Herefordshire's oldest cider factories - Symonds of Stoke Lacy - is to close next January, writes RICHARD WILSON.

Bulmers, who own the family firm, announced yesterday that all production would be moved to its new Hereford site.

"We have invested more than £30m in building a new cider-making plant at Hereford and this now has the capacity to make both the Bulmers and Symonds range," said a spokesperson.

"Only four jobs remain at the Stoke Lacy site and the company will be seeking to re-deploy them at Hereford."

Symonds - best known for its Scrumpy Jack brand - has been producing cider in Herefordshire since 1727.

Founder William Symonds began making Herefordshire's famous drink in the same year that George II succeeded to the throne of England.

As a doctor, he knew of the supposed medicinal properties of cider - which was said to aid digestion and prevent gallstones.

As the business flourished, it was handed down for generations from father to son to keep the Symonds name alive.

In the last century, the firm continued to expand by taking over local businesses such as Boultons of Hereford, picking up £6,000- worth of stock and equipment for just £40 at auction.

They moved to their Stoke Lacy plant in 1939 and remained a family concern until being acquired by Greenall Whitney in 1984. Bulmers took over five years later.

The ten-acre site will now be put up for sale for commercial/industrial use, a move which Bulmers claim will create 'much-needed' jobs in the rural area.