A HOUSING association which manages 9,000 homes in Blackburn has scooped an award for its outstanding customer service.

Twin Valley Homes was presented with a service excellence award at an award ceremony in London. by Management Today magazine and Unisys, a global information technology company.

The business was one of eight UK companies recognised for outstanding customer service and employee relations. Twin Valley Homes won the Public Services Award for 2003.

Phil Richards, chief executive of Twin Valley Homes, said: "To be the winner is an incredible accolade from outside our normal sphere of activity and deserved recognition for all the hard work of our dedicated staff."

Participating organisations were asked to complete a self-assessment questionnaire and a team of assessors then visited the short-listed organisations.

The judging panel included representatives from Unisys, Management Today and Cranfield School of Management, independent consultants and last year's winner, Nationwide.