APG, which has 30 staff and operates out of its base in Bamber Bridge, will continue to trade as they are now and under their own brand.

The business was founded by Peter Gerrard 20 years ago and in that time has become well-established in the Preston and Ribble Valley areas with a strong and loyal customer base and a great reputation for high quality service, HomeServe says,

Richard Shepherd, HomeServe’s Managing Director of Installations, said: “We’re delighted that APG has become part of the HomeServe family. They are a strong and profitable local company with a reputation for excellent Customer care, trustworthiness, and reliability all of which mirror our HomeServe values. I'm confident they will be a great addition to our stable.

“APG is the second domestic heating business we’ve acquired recently, the first being Aqua Plumbing and Heating based in Lymington. They bring an established brand, regional knowledge, reputation, and their own successful way of doing business, and all of this, in line with our strategy, we want to see continue”.

Peter Gerrard, founder and Managing Director of APG, added: “I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved at APG, we’ve got a brilliant team and wonderful customers who keep coming back to us and recommending us. I’m also really excited about our future as part of the HomeServe family with the stability and all the opportunity that being part of a successful FTSE 250 business gives. The fact that HomeServe wants us to keep being us makes it all the better!”