A PLUMBING supplies firm is eyeing new jobs as it expands to meet continued demand.

JTM Plumbing, an online business selling thousands of products every month, has bought a 2.2-acre plot of land on Darlington’s Faverdale Industrial Estate.

Founder Jason Mulroy says the space will be used to create a new base, having outgrown its existing site on Darlington’s Yarm Road Business Park.

Mr Mulroy, who told The Northern Echo of his expansion plans in 2016 after opening a trade counter, hopes to increase his product range, boost annual turnover of £6.5m and add to his 24-strong workforce in the move.

Mr Mulroy, managing director, bought the land from Darlington Borough Council, having been aided in his search by the authority’s Invest in Darlington team.

The business, which has seen sales increase by 46 per cent in a year, has outgrown each of its previous units and Mr Mulroy said without the support of the council to find a larger site he might have been forced to move his business out of Darlington.

“I didn’t want to move elsewhere, or make my staff commute, so I came to the council to ask how I could keep my business in Darlington”, said Mr Mulroy, who praised the support the business also received from HSBC's Middlesbrough branch.

“Within a week they were showing me land the council has available in Faverdale to buy.

“The site gives us scope to grow without having to keep moving.”

Mr Mulroy set up his company, which supplies pipes and fittings across the UK and internationally, in 2009 as a sideline from his home while working as a plumber on building sites.

The Invest in Darlington team put him in touch with the Tees Valley Business Support Scheme and, with help from accountants Anderson Barrowcliff, Mr Mulroy was able to secure a capital grant of £100,000 towards the costs of building the first of four possible units on the site.

Tees Valley Business Support’s Capital Grant scheme is funded by the SSI Taskforce, which was set up after the closure of the Redcar steelworks.

Councillor Chris McEwan, the council’s cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “It’s great to hear success stories like JTM Plumbing and even better when the council has a role in supporting their growth.

“I’d encourage other businesses in the borough that might be looking to take the next step to get in touch with Invest in Darlington.”