HAMPSHIRE company Blunt Construction has completed the first stage of a complex roof refurbishment contract at London's Claridge's hotel.

The Twyford company has a dedicated fully trained workforce and has identified a niche market for liquid applied roofing systems throughout London and southern England.

Commercial director Colin Brooks said: "The more difficult the roof is, the more beneficial our solution is to the problem.

"With space at a premium, more and more roofs are being used for equipment such as air conditioning plants. Therefore, any roof repairs or full roof refurbishment is very difficult to carry out."

He said the roof at Claridge's was one of the most difficult roofs undertaken so far. The company has successfully completed the first phase, and a second phase is in the planning stage.

The firm has been the largest authorised contractor for a leading manufacturer of liquid roofing systems for the last three years. Mr Brooks said this is no mean feat for a small family firm which broke away from the general building market in 1998.

It has invested in extensive training over the past four years, which has culminated in Blunt's achieving the coveted Investor in People award. This was presented to staff at its latest training day at The Old Fire Station in Twyford.