Servo Group says it could create up to 200 jobs with a new North East office that aims to capitalise on regeneration activity in the region.

The multi-service group, which provides rail labour, construction, security services and property management among other functions, is opening a Darlington office that will cover all of the region.

Current business development manager Yasmine Hatton-Ashley will lead the office as North East regional manager.

Servo, which has headquarters in Leeds and offices in Manchester and London, says it is targeting £20m turnover in the next 12 months and hopes to secure multi-year contracts in the North East.

Ms Hatton-Ashley said: “We’re excited by the regeneration opportunities which are taking place in the North East at the moment, such as the Hartlepool Masterplan, the TIGGOR programme and the Darlington Eastern Growth Zone.

“As a business, Servo has contributed massively to the local economy in other parts of the country, particularly Yorkshire through some major security and facilities management contracts and the South East through our rail contracts. We’re looking forward to having a similar impact in the North East and I’m incredibly excited about this new opportunity.”

Servo said it was attracted to the North East by the concentration of sustainable development which it said aligned with its own focus, including recently acquired ISO 14001 accreditation and moves to make its fleet of company vehicles entirely electric within the next 12 months.

The firm had also launched a CCTV service that it says will reduce customers’ carbon footprints by cutting down on the need for cabling.

Ms Hatton-Ashley added: “Sustainability is a crucial part of our business plan at Servo and we’re looking forward to becoming involved in some of the low carbon projects that are taking place in the region, not just through our security division but across all the sectors we work in – construction, facilities management and rail labour.