A CLEANING firm, which worked on a flagship £105m national football centre, says it wants to create more North-East jobs and expand across the UK after winning a raft of contracts.

MJF Cleaning Services, in Darlington, was founded seven years ago by window cleaner, Martin Ferguson, and now employs about 120 people, carrying out commercial cleaning in bars, restaurants, hospitals and schools.

The company previously cleaned steel structures at the Football Association's new St George's training base, in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and says it wants to create 400 new jobs, including about 80 posts this year, and add an annual £1m to its turnover during the next five years.

It has now secured deals to carry out more work, including a return to the 330-acre National Football Centre, where England hold training sessions, as well as a three-year contract with Darlington Council to clean its Civic Theatre and town hall, and work at the New and Renewable Energy Centre, in Blyth, Northumberland.

Mr Ferguson said the company was looking to continue its expansion by opening an office near the M62 next year, and build on previous deals with Rockliffe Hall, in Hurworth, near Darlington and Middlesbrough-based electricity cable distributor Cleveland Cable.

He said: “Winning this new work means we’ll not only secure jobs for our team, which is very important in the current uncertain climate, but also create a variety of new positions.

“We’re very proud of the reputation we have gained and firmly believe it’s down to our staff.”