A FAMILY building maintenance company has recruited 130 people in the past four years and is still expanding.

H&B, in Middlesbrough, carries out services for social housing providers, such as Tristar Homes, and has seen turnover soar to more than £10m.

It is now looking for new headquarters as it expands across the region and aims to increase turnover by at least £3m a year in the next few years.

The company was founded by chairman Harry Butler and his wife, Audrey, 27 years ago.

Mr Butler has handed over the day-to-day running of the business to his daughter, Claire, corporate director, and son Mark, who is operations director.

The company mainly provides maintenance and refurbishment services to social housing clients such as Tristar Homes, of Stockton, Coast and Country Housing, and Erimus, which is responsible for Middlesbrough's former council houses.

Miss Butler said: "When I started about three-and-a-half years ago, we had 30 employees, and we gradually won more and more business. We are one of the larger contractors for Tristar.

"At the moment, we just work in the Tees Valley area, but we are looking to expand through the North-East as part of our business plan.

"We are also looking to go into different market areas because many of the housing companies in the local area had so much money allocated to spend on maintenance of local authority properties, but after that, the work will dry out a little bit."

H&B has also taken on apprentices and has been working with the Learning and Skills Council, and also Business Link, to improve training for staff coming into the trade.

Claire and Mark Butler have attended director development programmes, and eight other members of staff have been on management courses.

The business has also worked with Hartlepool College on a training course for its staff in construction work, such as bricklaying, plastering and plumbing.

Miss Butler said: "We plan to grow and we need our staff to develop."