A Cumbrian firm has today revealed its million pound investment plans.

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Wigton-based bus and coach company Reays is investing the money in expanding into the vehicle hire sector.

The independent firm has launched Vehicle Hire @ Reays from its Egremont depot with the creation of four jobs.

It has initially bought a fleet of 50 brand new vehicles, all 2016-registered and available for hire. These range from small vans and pick-ups to mini buses, crew vans and 7.5-ton trucks. However, it is planned for the fleet to grow to 200 vehicles within the next 12 months.

Although some will be available for hire to individual customers, the emphasis will be primarily on business-to-business, particularly contractors working at the giant Sellafield site just three miles from Reays' base in west Cumbria. All vehicles will be available for self-drive hire on short-term or long-term contracts.

Vehicle Hire @ Reays was launched at the start of this month and has already secured a two-year deal with a major engineering business in west Cumbria.

"This is a very exciting new venture for our business," said managing director Chris Reay. "Through Vehicle Hire @ Reays, we will offer contracts drawn up specifically for engineering, construction or other businesses based in the nuclear industry to ensure we provide them with exactly what they want on-site at Sellafield.

"If someone wants a specific vehicle for a specific job, we will obtain it for them, deliver it to the door to minimise any downtime and offer a full back-up service, including having the company's own livery on it to promote their business, not ours. That applies to all businesses, not just those at Sellafield or in west Cumbria where there are a lot of major work projects going on," he added.

Reays already operates one of the largest fleets of private hire coaches in the north of England. It also runs the award-winning City Hopper public bus network in Carlisle, along with several other public bus routes elsewhere in Cumbria, plus a string of school bus services throughout the county and Sellafield's on-site staff transport and park and ride facilities.