Mr Fothergill's has invested in the fitting of nearly 500 solar panels on the roof of its Kentford, Suffolk, headquarters in a bid to provide some of its own electricity and lessen its carbon output while reducing the cost of its ever-increasing energy bill, which has risen steeply in the past year.

The company's joint-managing director John Fothergill revealed panels are now in place on the south facing roof of its production unit and the south, east and west facing roofs of the main office and mail order warehouse.

"We currently use 528,000 KWH of electricity a year. I believe the average house consumes 3,300 KWH. The panels will generate around 113,000 KWH of electricity and our usage is such that we will consume most of this, even at weekends. What we don’t use will go into the national grid. In broad terms this equates to an annual carbon output saving of about 50 tonnes.

"We believe it is also the right course to take, and it does make sound financial sense.

We will also be looking at other efficiency and green initiatives in the months ahead.  These will include insulation, energy efficient lighting and voltage optimisation. We are also encouraging our staff to submit their ideas on these matters."