AN insurance firm has won a major contract for a new service for water customers throughout the North West.

Insol, of Colne, will administer the new service introduced by North West Water to help small firms have access to repair teams to deal with burst or blocked pipes.

The insurance brokers, which employs 45 staff, will handle the marketing and administration side of the new scheme and also deal with settlement of claims.

"It is quite a high profile contract for us to win and we're very excited about getting started," said Duncan Aspden, a director of Insol which operates a number of specialist brokerage firms.

The Pipework Protection Plan launched by NWW is aimed at the group's smaller business customers.

"When you are in business something as simple as a burst pipe can be a real headache, maybe even a disaster," said Tina Boulyton customer service marketing manager for NWW.

The new scheme will guarantee a four-hour response time for emergency repairs 24 hours a day.

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