A BURNLEY firm is helping one of the most remotely populated islands achieve modern transport links with the rest of the world.

Nortex International is shipping runway lighting systems and signs for a new airport on the island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The British territory measures 10 miles by five miles, and only 4,200 people live there.

The island is 2,000 miles from the nearest country, and the only way to get there at the moment is by boat from Cape Town, South Africa, which takes five days and sails once every three weeks.

The British Government is spending £250million on the new airport, and Nortex, based on the Rossendale Road Industrial Estate, will be playing their part.

Stephen Sadler, managing director at Nortex, said: “We do all kind of weird and wonderful projects, but I quite like this one as it is transport and we are in the transport business, and also St Helena is absolutely in the middle of nowhere.

“We will be sending the items from Felixstowe to Cape Town, where it will then go on the vessel to the island.

“One of our customers produces lighting systems and signs for runways at airports, so we have shipped on several occasions for them.”

Once the airport is open in 2016 the ship that serves the island will be retired.

Nortex, which was established in April 1991, are currently packing the items into five 20-foot containers ready for their seven-week journey.