LAW firm Blackett Hart & Pratt (BHP) advised energy efficiency company Eaga in the completion of its latest acquisition.

Newcastle plc Eaga bought Essex-based heating installation and repair company RG Francis (RFG) Limited for an initial £9.6m last month, which could rise by a further £1.6m depending on operating performance.

The acquisition, which BHP oversaw during a two-day period of dealings, was Eaga's first acquisition since its flotation on June 7.

John Clough, chief executive of Eaga, said the law firm's input was crucial.

"When we announced our intention to float, our key aim was to build a sustainable business and to be able to finance strategic acquisitions where appropriate. This announcement shows we are delivering on this objective," he said.

"Once again BHP, our legal representatives, have played a pivotal role in this latest acquisition."

Gary Copeland, partner and head of the company law team at BHP, said: "We are delighted to have completed Eaga's first acquisition since their flotation which was completed over an intense two-day period.

"We look forward to assisting them further with their corporate objectives."

The acquisition forms a significant part in Eaga's geographical expansion and its aspirations for growth in the social housing sector.

It will come under the umbrella of the installation services division of Eaga, the UK's largest residential energy efficiency provider, which recently floated on the London Stock Exchange, and will help it expand into the South-East, complementing Eaga's existing coverage of the North-East, Midlands and Northern Ireland.

RGF had a turnover of £13m for the year ended September 2006, and employs 120 people. It installs about 2,000 heating systems a year and manages more than 56,000 annual service contracts. Key customers are local authorities, housing associations and registered social landlords.

Tim James, managing director of RGF, said: "This is an excellent opportunity for our business and for our 120 staff, who will all become partners of Eaga plc and share in the group's future."

Eaga employs about 1,000 people in the North-East, and has ambitious plans for growth over the next three years which will see it more than trebling its UK workforce to 10,000, and of more than doubling turnover to £1bn.