A major new £1.1million building for one of the county's leading metalwork firms has been officially opened.

Ashford MP Damian Green was joined by Jo James, chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, to unveil the site in Hothfield for MJA Metalwork.

The firm specialises in architectural and structural metalwork.

Designed and built by its own team, the 8,000sq ft building provides MJA staff with a new training centre, sales suite, design room, dedicated welding stations and the latest safety equipment.

The firm's managing director, Mike Allen, said: "As a family business, seeing a £1.1m investment come to life, giving our team better facilities to do their jobs more safely and efficiently, is a proud moment. To be able to grow our business whilst also reducing our carbon footprint is even better.”

The building is constructed to be eco-friendly with smart-LED lighting and electricity and heating from renewable sources.

Operations director Rod Harcourt added: "Having Damian Green and Jo James here to officially open our new site really enforces the pride that the whole team are feeling. We’ve been based in Ashford for decades and now have a site that matches our future aspirations.”

In August, its parent company, MJAllen Group, acquired all of the assets of Ashford firm Kent Metal Developments (KMD) - a deal which saw all those employed by KMD kept on.

MJA Metalwork is set to grow to a projected turnover of £4.5m from its new team of 40 staff.

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