TWO breweries are set to join forces in a bid to help the environment.

Friendly rivals Brentwood Brewing Company and Billericay Brewing Company have decided to work more closely together.

The move will see two breweries continuing to operate as separate companies but begin to share deliveries and brewing spaces.

Their plan is to cut costs and to reduce their carbon emissions. To mark the new arrangements, the pair are collaborating to create a 5% ABV IPA, which will be launched in March.

The new brew is yet to be named and the brewers are hoping for ideas from the public. The competition winner will receive an 18-pint container of the beer.

Roland Kannor, managing director of Brentwood Brewing Company said: “The small brewing industry is very tough at the moment with 29 pubs a week shutting, four new breweries a week opening and a 20 per cent increase in the price of barley for 2019.

“It makes perfect sense for breweries, like Brentwood and Billericay, to work together to utilise spare capacity in brewing, deliveries and staff to cut costs and to reduce their carbon footprints.” Billericay Brewing will make use of the extra production capacity that Brentwood Brewery has to offer.

That will mean Billericay Brewing can brew four times more beer per batch than before.

Trevor Jeffery, Director of Billericay Brewing Company said: “We are now at full capacity at Billericay Brewery and struggling to keep up with demand, so it will be a great move for us to brew our best-selling beers at the larger Brentwood Brewery.

"Shifting this production will also give us more space at Billericay and so we will be able to serve even more people at our popular micro-pub and brewery every weekend.”