A FIRM with a base on the site that gave birth to Teesside’s chemical industry has created new jobs.

Chemoxy International says it has created 15 posts and supported another 30 at its plant in Billingham, near Stockton.

The firm previously received £1.5m from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) job creation scheme, and says is growing workforce is part of a wider £6m expansion.

Its sister refinery in Cargo Fleet Road, Middlesbrough, occupies the spot where, in 1869, industralist Samuel Sadler founded a tar distillery starting the region's chemical process industry.

Simon Hughes, Justice and Civil Liberties Minister, visited the company to check on its growth.

He told The Northern Echo: “Companies like Chemoxy and its staff are helping build a stronger economy and a fairer society.

“The firm is really pleased with what the funding has achieved.

“It is recruiting locally and is a big part of the industry in the North-East.”

He added about £310m of RGF cash has been invested in businesses across the North-East through its various funding rounds, helping create 58,000 new jobs.

Employing more than 100 workers across its two sites, Chemoxy supplies processing for international chemical companies, environmentally-friendly solvents for use in paints and cleaning products, and chemicals for the pharmaceutical, electronic and fuel additive industries.