Britain’s biggest developer of new-build retirement homes has launched a dedicated removals service with a fleet of Luton vans.

The service is being co-ordinated and delivered by removals specialist House to Home UK, which commissioned the vehicles.

The 10 fuel-efficient 3.5-tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 313CDIs are fitted with ICON bodies that offer payloads of more than 1,200kg.

The chassis were supplied by Birmingham dealer Midlands Truck & Van while the bodies were fitted by Bevan Group, of Halesowen, West Midlands.

House to Home UK managing director James Sandbrook said: “The ICON-bodied Mercedes-Benz Sprinter combines high levels of productivity, user-friendly-practicality and safety, with excellent environmental credentials.”

The Euro 5 Sprinter 313CDI is 15% more efficient than its Euro 4 equivalent, this improvement equating to an extra 4.5 miles per gallon, while CO2 emissions are down by 13%.

The ICON body was developed by Bevan Group in partnership with independent aerodynamics experts from Cranfield University and Hatcher Components, and launched at the 2011 Commercial Vehicle Show.

Its innovative, modular panels – moulded cab deflector and collar, side walls and roof – were created using three-dimensional CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) technology then honed in a wind tunnel, and are manufactured in a lightweight and recyclable composite GRP material.

Sandbrook added: “To contain costs we’re naturally keen to make maximum use of the available loadspace. The ICON offers impressive volume and payload capacities, while its aerodynamic design contributes to improved fuel economy.

“It also has a fantastic on-road presence allowing our vans to double as highly visible mobile advertising spaces, reinforcing consumer awareness of the McCarthy & Stone brand.”