Complete Weed Control (CWC), one of Scotland’s leading weed control, ground maintenance and tree management specialists, is bringing a jobs boost to the North-East after successfully securing a major maintenance contract for the region’s roads.

The Lanarkshire company, which now covers the greater part of Scotland from its recently acquired base in Larkhall, will take on 16 new staff to meet the demands of the North East Network (NMC) Maintenance Contract from Amey.

The massive contract which will last for six years and involves the regular cutting of 4.9 million square metres of grass will also mean that CWC will open a new facility in Arbroath, similar in size to its former base in Carluke.

The deal is one of the most prestigious the firm has won. Amey, a leading provider of solutions for UK infrastructure and complex facilities, delivers trunk road services in the North East on behalf of Transport Scotland.

The area ranges from Dunblane and Dunfermline in the south to Inverness, Keith and Fraserburgh in the north. It covers 593 km of trunk roads, including 485 bridges and structures such as the Friarton Bridge which carries the M90 over the River Tay.

Keith Gallacher, director of Complete Weed Control, said: “Coming on the heels of a series of contract wins at the start of the year, this tremendous deal will be a major driver of growth for the company in the coming years.

It covers a huge area of Scotland and will involve low, medium and high frequency grass cutting for 24 weeks of the year. We have already created six new jobs in Arbroath and a further six in Aberdeen and the new staff are keen and enthusiastic. Their attitude is fantastic.”

He added: “Our success in this bid was down to quality of service, rather than price, and we are very excited to be developing our relationship with an organisation as big and dynamic as Amey. We are confident that it will lead to greater things.”

CWC will now be seeking contracts in the region for winter work and will be offering its tree services division, which now contributes equally with the longer-established weed suppressant and grass cutting services.

In January this year, it won contracts with Stirling Council, for invasive weed control, with North Lanarkshire Council, for tree removal using its £240,000 Merlo Roto tree removal machine, and with leading waste and resource management firm FCC Environment, for landscape maintenance.

Complete Weed Control has continued to gain prestigious contracts from clients across Scotland and has posted a record £2.75 million in sales last year, up from £2 million the previous year.

Growth has been boosted by new client acquisition as well as services it supplies to mostly public sector organisations.