RENTOKIL Initial has ordered a fleet of 500 vehicles from Yorkshire-based retailer Nidd Vale Group in a deal worth almost £5 million.

More than half of the vehicles were delivered in the first three months of the contract, with the remaining few being rolled out over the next 12 months. Rentokil has agreed a contract with Vauxhall which will see the vehicles including Astras, Vectras, Combos, Astravans, Vivaros and Movanos supplied to sites in the north of England and Scotland.

Rentokil, which supplies hygiene, pest control, tropical plant and security services, has a fleet of 3,600 cars and 1,900 vans and while the majority of its fleet is petrol, Rentokil is expecting a number of employees to opt for diesels in a bid to reduce benefit-in-kind tax bills.

Colin Hainstock, managing director of the Vauxhall division at Nidd Vale, said: 'Last year we added companies such as Asda and Yorkshire Water to our client list and this latest contract, demonstrates our ability to handle the largest fleet deals.'