WORK on an engineering firm's new base is storming ahead.

Furness Engineering and Technology Limited (FETL) has taken on the former Tronic building in Sandside Road in Ulverston.

FETL owner Tim Redshaw, whose granddad Sir Leonard Redshaw positioned the Barrow shipyard to become the home of nuclear submarines, bought the premises earlier this year for £212,000.

Renovations are now well under way and the firm's 33 staff hope to move in by Christmas.

The move came after FETL pulled out of plans to be part of the Beehive retail and employment development.

Tronic's former base has been empty since 2009 after the company was bought by Expro and then became part of Siemens in 2012.

Back in April South Lakeland District Council approved the Beehive development at the side of the A590. The site is expected to open at end of 2019.

After the plans were given the green light FETL, based at The Ellers, expressed concerns at a lack of progress and pulled out.

"Whilst we found it difficult at times to deal with Rawdon Property, with the whole process being very slow, we have simply reacted to an opportunity which means we will have no further involvement with the Beehive development. That doesn’t mean we are not fully supportive of the Beehive development as a whole, we anticipate it will end up being a real asset to the town," Mr Redshaw said.