A RENTAL company has placed an order for new Ford Transits worth £5 million at showroom prices.

TLS Vehicle Rental has ordered 100 short wheelbase vans, 75 long wheelbase high-roof vans, 70 crew cab tippers and 25 single cab tippers. They are all due for delivery by the end of this year.

TLS asset director Carl d’Ammassa said: ‘The Transit has been one of the mainstays of our rental fleet for as long as anyone at TLS can remember and, having looked at the new model in depth, we are satisfied that it makes a definite advance over the previous generation and remains one of the best choices in the panel van sector.’

He added that the company had an ‘ongoing commitment’ to keep the average age of its fleet vehicles below 18 months, and that the new deal represents part of that process.