A "MAJOR" surge in business at a Yorkshire start-up has sparked a recruitment drive.

Just 12 months since its launch, Consumer Credit Compliance (CCC) has taken on five members of staff to help cope with a rising demand for its work helping firms apply for new licences to offer customers credit.

Following the Financial Conduct Authority taking over credit licensing last April from the Office of Fair Trading, Harrogate-based CCC is now working on behalf of more than 250 firms nationwide requiring a new “permission”.

Started by compliance expert Ian Beardmore and business partner David Petty, CCC’s clients include car dealerships, cosmetic surgery clinics and credit brokers.

And, with ten-of-thousands of companies requiring an FCA permission, the pair are predicting the workforce will expand further over the coming months Mr Beardmore said: “Over the last year we have built up a business offering a specialism, and a specialism required by a thousands upon thousands of companies up and down the country.

"With more and more businesses seeking us out, David and I took the decision that we needed to build a team."