A Billericay company which started life with just two secondhand Transit vans has just celebrated its tenth anniversary in an appropriate manner.

LCH Contracts' birthday present to itself was a fleet of 20 brand spanking new versions of the latest Transit.

LCH managing director Lee Hipgrave has seen his specialist asbestos company progress from a small lock-up and those two original vans in 1997, to a new purpose-built £1.3million complex.

To go with the new setup, he now boasts an impressive fleet of Transits to go with it Since its launch, LCH has grown to become one of the UK's top ten independent firms in its field.

It now employs 90 staff, and enjoyed a turnover of £5million last year. It continues to expand at a rapid rate.

Then, as now, Lee chose to buy his vehicles from an Essex vehicle manufacturer, Ford.

The Transits - voted International Van of the Year 2007 - was his van of choice and came from the Essex Auto Group, based at Rayleigh.

The order included two of Ford's special silver "Anniversary" editions of the Transit, produced to to mark the Transit's 40th birthday.

Lee said: "In a competitive market you need to stay ahead and change with the times.

"First impressions are very important, and vehicles are a major factor in creating and maintaining an image.

"Our Transits were there at the start of the business, and for me, they remain a strong element in keeping the business successful and in growing it to something bigger still."