A gas and heating firm has won a share of a £400 million contract to carry out repairs and maintenance work for a UK housing association.

Sittingbourne-based Swale Heating will look after 12,000 homes for the Hyde Group across Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Peterborough.

The move comes as the landlord tries to save 10% on the cost of servicing the 49,000 homes it manages across 12 counties over the next decade.

It has slashed its list of external contractors from about 80 to 11.

The 10-year contract is another coup for Swale Heating, which has domestic heating customers in 120,000 homes and works with 36 housing associations and local authorities across the UK.

Established in 1972, the company has a workforce of more than 400 staff.

Swale Heating operations director Chris Riley said: “We secured this contract in the face of incredibly tough competition and we are delighted to have been chosen to partner with one of the UK’s most professional and innovative housing providers.

“We have worked with Hyde for many years and are proud that the professionalism of our staff and the quality of their service has been recognised through the tender process.

“Long-term contracts such as this with Hyde Group allow us to continue to invest in our business and our staff for the future.”

Hyde’s group director of housing Carol Carter said: “I look forward to working with our new contractors to deliver services that clearly reflect our residents’ priorities, while at the same time creating efficiencies which will release resources to provide more homes and invest in new and improved services.”