SALES at gourmet crisp maker Tyrrells have soared almost £25m in the last financial year after the launch of a global expansion plan.

Newly filed accounts for parent Crisps Topco Ltd revealed the Leominster-based business turned over £56.6m in the year to March 27, 2015, up from £32.1m a year earlier. Turnover generated in the UK rose by almost £20m, climbing from £25m to £44.2m. In Europe, sales also rose from £5.5m to £9m and increased to £3.3m from £1.5m from markets in the rest of the world.

Chief executive David Milner said: "Tyrrells’ fan base of snack connoisseurs is forever growing, both on home-soil and abroad and we’re continually looking to expand our horizons even further. It’s fantastic to see our investment and growth strategy has paid off thus far. However, we aren’t about to rest on our laurels. There’s still a wealth of opportunity to be had and so we’re now looking for new opportunities to help us remain at the forefront of premium snacking."

Pre-tax losses for the year widened to £8.2m from £7.8m due higher administrative costs and exceptional items of £1.8m.