FIVE Warrington based businesses are included in a list of the fastest growing north west companies - with one coming out top.

Winwick Quay based Secured Express, a secured mail company, has an average annual growth of 260 per cent in the past year and leads the new list of the top 35 high growth businesses.

Warrington’s five entries compares to four in Liverpool and three in Manchester.

Other Warrington based businesses listed are App Sense, based in Daresbury, Birchwood based Fircroft Engineering Services, IESA, in Birchwood, and Birchwood’s BetFred.

Secured Express boasts clients include Amazon, Centrica and Domino’s Pizza.

Clr Terry O’Neill, leader Warrington Borough Council, said: “This list is yet another indicator of our economic might.

Warrington is in an enviable position of economic strength but it is vital that as a local authority we continue to help grow the economy.

“Helping our local businesses grow and so create jobs for local people offers some defence against the drastic cuts that central government are forcing us to make in our revenue budget.

“Our framework, Warrington Means Business, is a programme designed to protect, develop and grow our economy and create employment for local people now and into the future.”

Steve Park, managing director, Warrington & Co., Warrington’s partnership for driving growth, said, “A new set of independent statistics appear almost each week reaffirming Warrington’s regional and national status as a leading location for business growth.

It is great to see five Warrington businesses in the top 30.

“Congratulations to them all.

“Clearly Warrington is a premier location for business to flourish, reaffirmed by the recent Cabinet Office stats declaring Warrington a business start-up hotspot, and Warrington & Co. is working hard to keep it that way.”

The survey was published by North West Business Insider and sponsored by accountants Mazars LLP.