JELLY BABY BOOM

SCOTLAND is enjoying a population boom – in jelly babies.

Confectioners Golden Casket have pressed the button on a new £1million machine to satisfy the country’s demand for chewy gums.

And the move means jelly babies are now being born in Scotland for the first time.

Managing director Crawford Rae – Scotland’s Willy Wonka – has spent almost three years working on the sophisticated kit.

As well as the babies, it can produce best-selling wine gums and midget gems.

Crawford is now the proud father of five million jelly babies a week at his Greenock plant – one for every man, woman and child in Scotland.

And he reckons it will boost sales of his company’s popular Onepounder range.

They sell a staggering 12.5million bags of the £1 sweets every year throughout the UK, with the most popular ranges including chocolate caramels, peppermint creams, fudge and buttermints.

Crawford reckons the new machine will take the company to another level, boosting their annual turnover of £21million.

It will also boost staffing at a company who already employ 140 workers and turn in profits of more than £1million.

Crawford said: “Most jelly babies, wine gums and midget gems have been manufactured in eastern Europe