THE owner of a long-established Kent removals company has called for a shake-up in the moving business.

Stephen Christopher, who is celebrating his first year in charge of Ashford-based C Wraight & Partners since taking over from his father, said: “People are being manipulated. They they do not seem to get a choice of the day they want to move.”

Mr Christopher, whose firm’s headquarters are in Bridge Road, Cobbs Wood, said customers were continually being “steered by the system” towards moving on a Friday.

“The question is why?” he said. “People are always going to pay top premiums on a Friday - in some circumstances it can be 75 per cent more with larger companies - and invariably it’s the last Friday of the month, which is the worst time of all.

“On the last Bank Holiday Friday, I actually had a lady crying down the phone because we could not move her because we were so busy. It’s the same throughout the removals industry - if we could spread the business through the week, it would stop this stupidity. Why not move on a Monday or Tuesday? After all, the customer is in charge and it would be better all round if solicitors and estate agents heeded this.”

Mr Christopher said his first year in control had been “better than I expected.” A strong market and low interest rate had encouraged people to upgrade to larger homes. The company had increased its number of lorries and, as business expanded, he expected to increase staff levels.

Associated work with Canterbury Auction Galleries, as carriers of fine art and antiques and a buoyant trade in storage facilities - now 25 per cent of the business - had contributed to the company’s success.

The overseas market is also developing quickly as more and more customers buy properties in France and Spain.

“It’s been a good year and we have had several interesting assignments,” said Mr Christopher. “The oddest one, perhaps, was moving a dog kennel to the south of France. The owners flew down, but the dogs, St Bernards, were too big and they had to go by train.”