NEW jobs will be created with the opening of a legal office in a Hampshire village.

Moore Blatch bosses say they will be taking on about 25 people when they open the new office in Whiteley.

The new branch, at Solent business Park, will bring the firm’s total size to five offices and 240 staff around the county.

The Whiteley branch will be home to the company’s professional negligence and lender service teams currently based at the two Southampton offices in London Road and The Avenue.

The location will also be key to its private client division which is planning to extend its expertise.

The expansion will free up space in Southampton to allow the firm to continue with its growth plan for other areas of the business including personal injury, corporate commercial and litigation.

Managing partner David Thompson said: “The opening of this new office demonstrates our commitment to growing in Hampshire and will allow us to increase our reach in and around the South. We are always looking for growth opportunities with a view to sealing our regional presence.

“Last year we made a number of key recruitments which helped to strengthen existing departments and provided new scope for existing work.

“Our move to Whiteley is a natural next step in our expansion plans for the region and we are always looking for more opportunities to strengthen our existing teams and consolidate our position in the South.”

He went on to say the firm had recruited five staff earlier this year after taking on mortgage repossession business from Kings Legal and would be looking to develop its commercial and property arms in the future.

The firm cuts costs two years ago which bosses claim, helped it “bounce back” last year.

The new office comes after a record year in the company’s 313-year history in which it took £15.1m in turnover.