Aspatria's Lake District Creamery will be the first in Europe to heat homes from cheese-making waste, thanks to a £10 million project.

First Milk's plant, on Station Road, will produce gas from whey and other residue, which will feed into Cumbria's gas grid.

This will allow for the plant to supply 25 per cent of the creamery's energy requirement, while leaving the equivalent of 1,600 homes annual gas usage circulating to homes and businesses in Cumbria.

The project has been commissioned by Clearfleau and Lake District Biogas will run the site for 20 years.

Gordon Archer, chairman of Lake District Biogas, said: "Completion of this project on time, given the weather conditions in Cumbria this winter, has been a major achievement for the project team and Clearfleau.

"This is the largest anaerobic digester plant on a dairy processing site in Europe dedicated to handling the residual materials from the cheese making process."

The scheme will receive £2m a year through the Government's Renewable Heat Incentive and £1m through the sale of gas.

Generating biogas will replace fossil fuels, eliminating 7,000 tonnes of carbon from the supply chain.

Craig Chapman, chief executive of Clearfleau, said:  "This project, generating biogas solely from creamery residues, is based on British engineering and is transforming the way in which the dairy industry manages its residues.

"This shows how sustainability can be an integral part of our food supply chain. We are looking at other dairy projects as more companies realise the energy potential of their residues."