THE UK's van rental market leader has opened a call centre.

Northgate built a £1.5m, 10,000sq ft extension at its headquarters in Darlington, County Durham to house the new operation.

The opening coincides with the launch of ONE Call Fleet Rental, a re-branding of the former Northgate Central Reservations division.

The development of the call centre is part of Northgate's three-year strategy for growth which involves expanding the non-rental section of the business under the name of Northgate Vehicle Solutions Limited.

Simon Ridley, managing director of Northgate Vehicle Solutions Ltd said: "We describe ONE Call Fleet Rental as a one-stop-shop for all daily rental needs. Our call centre will allow us to serve the needs of our customers more efficiently.

"The centre will become a major function of Northgate Vehicle Solutions Limited. As it grows, we will utilise it for other brands that we have such as Vehicle Insight which is our tracking product."