A FORMER dairy plant in Denbighshire has found itself a buyer, after years of uncertainty surrounding the site.

Procter Johnson, a firm which makes pigments for the construction industry, is set to re-locate from Flint to the former Arla site in Llandyrnog.

The site went up for sale for £2.5m around three years ago.

The Danish business' mothballing (reducing to a skeleton staff, in order to preserve the site for later use or sale) in 2018 saw 97 people lose their jobs.

In a letter issued to and shared on social media by local councillor Merfyn Parry, Harvey Jackson - managing director of Procter Johnson - confirmed the news and hinted that the takeover could even go on to create jobs in the area.

The letter read: "I am pleased to confirm that the purchase of The Creamery went through last Thursday evening.

"We are very excited at the prospect of conducting operations from Llandyrnog and hope that we can have a positive impact on the village and wider community. Just to give you an idea of who we are and what we do.

"Procter Johnson manufactures pigments and additives for the construction industry, with the vast majority of our business being colour for precast concrete – roof tiles, pavers, patio slabs, walling, facing bricks, etc

"We are a privately owned business and have been on the site at Flint since 1984. I have worked there since 1993 and have been part of the management team since 2002. The business has grown significantly since 2010 and we have now outgrown the site at Flint. The Creamery presents us with an opportunity for further growth and to future proof the business. We currently employ 37 people and hopefully we can expand on this as the business continues to grow.

"We plan to make some significant investment, mostly in new equipment, and hope to be operational by Easter 2022."

Cllr Parry welcomed the news, saying: "Obviously this is fantastic news for Llandyrnog and the old Creamery site. I would like to wish Procter Johnson all the very best and thanks for investing in Llandyrnog and Denbighshire."

The Arla creamery had made cheese, including cheddar, at the site for nearly 100 years.

In May of last year, Arla Foods UK managing director Ash Amirahmadi confirmed that they were preparing to 'dispose' of the site.

Talks regarding the purchase by Procter Johnson are understood to have started around six months ago.