AN Internet services company has a new ring to its name.

Middlesbrough's chilli media has become one of the first in the North-East to achieve a new standard set by the Government-endorsed National Association of Approved Internet Services (NAAIS).

The standard comes with a WWW logo ringed by the name of the governing body.

Danny Drew, spokesman for NAAIS, said: "There are many horror stories around relating to companies being ripped off by unscrupulous Internet service providers.

"We have been set up to ensure that reputable operators can set themselves apart from these kind of companies and give service users a means of choosing a supplier they can rely on.''

Chilli media's managing director, Simon Brown, said: "By achieving the NAAIS standard we have proved our credentials and now hope to substantially grow the business on the back of this."

Chilli was set up two years ago, on the University of Teesside campus at Middlesbrough, and is in the business of website design and development, on-line marketing, internet training and e-commerce.