Britain’s most famous bread-making brand, Warburtons, is the latest company to sign up the the drive along with Liverpool-based European Metal Recycling. Tony McDonough reports.

Port of Liverpool owner Peel Ports has met its target of signing up 200 major firms to its campaign to persuade more shipping lines to come to the Mersey.

Britain’s most famous bread-making brand, Warburtons, is the latest company to sign up the the drive along with European Metal Recycling.

Peel first launched the initiative in 2015, when it called for importers and exporters whose goods begin or end their journey in the north of the UK to switch delivery of ocean freight from South East ports to the centrally-located Port of Liverpool.

Shippers of goods that start or end their journey in the north can reduce the costs to UK plc by £200m annually, Peel claims.

The campaign aims to cut freight mileage by 200m miles by 2020.

Peel’s £400m Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal has just come on line, equipping to handle 95% of the world’s cargo vessels.

Peel Ports’ chief operating officer, Patrick Walters, said: “We set out two years ago with an ambitious aim of recruiting 200 advocates for direct deep-sea services via Liverpool.

“Logistics providers and cargo owners want to reduce costs, congestion and carbon emissions in their supply chains, and their support for us underlines the benefits offered by our new Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal.

“The 1.5m TEU managed by these companies is a huge attraction for whichever shipping lines are the first to move.”\

Other well-known brands to have signed up include JCB, B&M, Jaguar Land Rover, Matalan, Bentley and Wirral-based tea producer Typhoo.