A NORTH-East firm is set to create 200 new jobs after securing a funding deal which forms part of its expansion plans.

Hawthorn Leslie Fabrications Ltd moved to new premises in South Tyneside last year, and having established its manufacturing facilities, it is now focused on improving access both on and off the site, and into the main fabrication shop in order to accommodate large fabrications for the shipbuilding industry.

As part of that work it has secured a £25,000 single regeneration budget (SRB) grant from the South Tyneside Development Fund, with the improvement of surrounding land and restoration of company buildings also high on the firm's agenda.

Hossain Babadi, MD at Hawthorn Leslie, said: "Everyone here is committed to bringing large scale employment to the riverside.

"We are confident that Hawthorn Leslie will, in time, employ upwards of 200 people within an industry where local people are traditionally skilled. The £25,000 grant from South Tyneside Development Fund reinforces that commitment."

Help to put the business plan together for the grant application was received from the Tyneside Economic Development Company Ltd (TEDCO), which is keen to see the whole area benefit from the work.

Business support manager at TEDCO, Ernie Coulthard, said: "We are extremely pleased to have been part of Hawthorn Leslie's grant application process and look forward to South Tyneside reaping the rewards from Hawthorn Leslie's determination."

The facelift at the firm's buildings and the addition of a one-hectare reclamation project to the company's plans will come as particularly welcome news to residents whose homes overlook the Hebburn site.

The buildings, some of which have listed status, will be carefully restored, and the view for residents living near the site will be further improved by the removal of the sites gates.