WORKERS at Coleford' s Ribena factory are toasting the creation of an £18 million production line expected to create 20 new permanent jobs.

Work is due to start soon on the new facility which is in addition to the £70 million new bottling plant launched last year.

The public's thirst for Ribena and Lucozade has led to the major investment by parent company GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

It is part of £40 million set aside to ensure the production lines at the Coleford can keep up with the growing demand.

Last year Brits drank 13 percent more Ribena and three percent more Lucozade. Last week's launch of Revive, the low calorie version of Lucozade, is expected to increase demand further.

Manager of the Coleford factory Rob Baxter said contracts are expected to be placed within a fortnight for a new hygienic shell which will be built within an existing building and the new equipment.

When it opens this autumn the new line, capable of bottling 48,000 litres per hour, is expected to create around 20 new jobs.

Mr Baxter said it was good news for the Coleford plant which currently has 510 people, including agency staff, working there as most of the vacancies will be filled internally.

He said: "This additional £18 million investment in a new plant at Coleford in 2012 is a huge step forward in terms of continually improving our efficiency and providing a highly responsive service for our customers who often need deliveries at short notice.

"This further investment, on top of the £70 million investment last year, demonstrates GSK's confidence in the ongoing success of well-loved brands like Lucozade and Ribena and the continued development of our manufacturing facility at Coleford."

The new line can only produce carbonated drinks but it will able to change very quickly between products.

"It is part of a £40 million worth of investment over the next couple of years," said Mr Baxter.

"There is a lot of upgrading work to do and the capital is there for a new aseptic line if demand continues to grow."

Now all GSK has to worry about is the weather. Growers had a nailbiting wait until January 2012 for the first prolonged deep frost needed to give the blackcurrant harvest the Ribena taste.