Prime Minister David Cameron picks trip to Accrington brickworks as a highlight of premiership

PM David Cameron has described his visit to Accrington last month as one of his ‘favourite’ moments during his five years as Prime Minister.

Mr Cameron who has met Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama to name but a few and has visited all corners of the globe on government business since becoming Prime Minister in 2010.

But he described his visit to the Hanson Brickworks factory in Huncoat as one of his highlights.

Mr Cameron was at the brickworks to officially reopen the factory that is home to the world famous Nori brick.

Mr Cameron was taken on a tour of the revamped factory with Chancellor George Osborne on January 8 and the pair were given the opportunity to make a brick – a particular highlight for the Prime Minister.

Mr Cameron said: “One of my favourite moments of the past five years was at a brick factory in Accrington.

“The production line had ground to a halt at the height of the Great Recession, and all the staff had been made redundant, save two, who had stayed to look after the machines for when, and if, they started up again.

“There I was, pushing the ‘on’ button; and, for the first time in seven years, the kilns lit up, the cogs cranked into action, and the town was making bricks once again.

“More to the point, people who had lost jobs and struggled with part-time work had got back those full-time, properly paid jobs.”

Mr Cameron added: “This isn’t just the story of one factory; it’s the story of our country over the past five years. Industries that were on the wane are being brought back to life.”

Mr Osborne said the reopening of the factory was a ‘symbol’ for how the region was coming back from the recession.

All but two staff were let go from the Hanson Brickworks factory in 2008 after the housing market crashed and the demand for bricks collapsed.

Owners Hanson Building Products took the 120-year-old site off the market in January and will take it out of ‘mothballs’ after a surge in the demand for bricks.

The decision to reopen the factory led to the creation of more than 30 jobs, in addition to a further 20 new jobs to be created later this year.

The majority of employees at the site are those formerly employed by the plant.

The red super-strength brick made at the factory, which has been used to build the foundations of the Empire State Building and Blackpool Tower, is unique to the area because of its clay.