A HIGH-LEVEL repair and maintenance company is enjoying its most successful start to a year since it launched 18 years ago.

Stone Technical Services (STS) of Darlington has secured almost £1m-worth of work, which takes it ahead of projected growth plans and will help create new jobs.

STS is made up of four divisions – STS Lightning Protection, STS Restoration, STS Maintenance and Facilities Management and STS Conservation – and is now due to increase turnover to £3.5m this year.

The new work includes projects across the North-East, in London, and Scotland.

In Scotland, STS Maintenance and Facilities Management has won a major contract to assist with repairs on the Forth Road Bridge. It is providing the lifeline and safety systems, internal and external repair ladders, and a safety boat for the maintenance work on the 2.5km long bridge which spans the Firth of Forth, connecting Fife and the North of Scotland with Edinburgh and the South.

In London, STS Lightning Protection is carrying out a full system installation at the new Peter May stand at The Oval cricket ground, while STS Maintenance and Facilities Management has been working at QPR’s football stadium at Loftus Road installing lifeline systems to allow for the safe repair of floodlights on all of the stands.

Also in London, STS Restoration is carrying out specialist lead work repairs at the Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand and historic surveys to check for any required repairs at Westminster Central Hall.

In the North of England, STS Lightning Protection is installing new systems to Grade II listed heritage buildings at the University of York.

Dave Stone, managing director, said: "We’ve certainly had a good start to 2016, which is a great boost at a time of year that can see a slump in work due to weather and budget restraints.

"The projects we’ve secured use all of our divisions and our fantastic mix of skills – from the very technical to the heritage – allows us to work on a vast range of structures. All of our divisions are thriving which is contributing to a real growth for STS and this in turn is creating new jobs for people at our Darlington HQ."

STS currently has a team of 40 and hopes to create about ten new jobs before the summer.

Mr Stone and his brother, Grahame, established Stone Technical Services in 1998 and now have offices in Edinburgh, Stockport, central London, with its HQ in Kellaw Road, Darlington.