A brewery is set to open in Skipton, reviving a tradition last seen in the town a century ago.

Steve Taylor and Ruth Bennett have quit their jobs in Burnley and invested £250,000 in the new brewery which is to open at the Snaygill Industrial Estate in February.

It will be the first time that beer has been brewed in the town since the start of the last century when Christopher Scott's brewery closed.

The couple have recruited a head brewer to select the finest malts to make the new beers which will be known as Copper Dragon Ales.

They hope to produce 200 casks per week at the start of the new venture, with three different ales of varying strengths on offer.

There are also plans to triple the size of the Skipton brewery within two years and open the site to tourists. "We want to bring in local people to work here, especially as the plant grows," said Mr Taylor. "Everyone has been so tremendous in their backing for the project it has been quite incredible."

Work is taking place to fit out the unit and the brewing plant is due to arrive from Germany at the end of January.

Miss Bennett said the couple chose Skipton for the brewery because of its soft water which is suitable for brewing, and its booming tourist trade. We did quite a lot of research, especially into the former brewery in the town," she said. "It is an ideal location for us and we hope it will become a tourist attraction. Steve has been craft brewing for 25 years, based on an 18th century system, and now we want to take it onto a more serious level.

"Obviously it is a big decision for us to give up our jobs and move house, but it is a great opportunity and we would be foolish to turn our backs on something we have both wanted to do for a long time."

But she admitted the beers - aimed at the 'top end' of the market - would have to be high quality because Yorkshire landlords are meticulous.