WORK begins this week on a £1.1m investment on Teesside to construct the new UK headquarters for computer connection firm Lindy.

The two-storey, 10,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility is taking shape on a brownfield site of one-and-a-half acres on Teesside Industrial Estate, Thornaby, where the company, which specialises in computer connection technology, is currently based.

Built with the assistance of a £15,000 business grant from Stockton Borough Council, it will boast 4,500 sq ft of offices, plus conference facilities, and will result in six more jobs. However, the site incorporates extra land that is already earmarked for another major extension.

Managing director Darren Casey explained that Lindy has outgrown its existing facility. "We have been based on the old site for 11 years, and the size of the building was threatening to limit our expansion.

"Lindy's turnover has grown along with the explosion in domestic and business computer use nationwide, and only floor space limits our range to 1,500 products.

"The new UK headquarters will not only give us much-needed extra space now, but will allow us to plan for further expansion in the future."

He said equally important was the visual effect of the building.

The new purpose-built facility, designed by Northallerton architect Roger Hansom, will reflect the reputation Lindy has earned as imaginative suppliers to the knowledge-driven economy