A PR firm which claims to be Teesside's best kept secret is celebrating the announcement that it has become the second largest public relations agency in the North-East.

It's the final feather in the cap of Guisborough based DTW, which has also seen a remarkable year of growth with a 62 per cent increase in fee income and a rise in company turnover to £1.7m.

The firm says its success is largely due to a series of big account wins, plus a greater number of projects from existing clients and a retention rate of more than 90 per cent.

The announcement was published in PR Week magazine's top 150 agencies. The company was also featured prominently in a list of the top 50 agencies based outside of London.

It's the first time in the company's 12-year history that it has been included in the list.

Peter Whelan, managing director, said: "We've already made a promising start to 2001, and hope to consolidate our position within the region, and improve upon our national standing,

"We're not content to sit back and enjoy the present, we're looking to the future as well."