LEIGH-based Kingmoor Park Properties has won a prestigious national award after being identified as one of the best examples of a public/private sector partnership in the UK.

The fast-growing company, which has made a huge success of the Bridgewater Business Park in Leigh, scooped the top distinction at a glittering national awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane.

The accolade came in the coveted property management awards class, organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the industry's equivalent of the Oscars.

There is always strong competition in the awards from major national and international organisations seeking to clinch the recognition of an award from the RICS, the world's leading professional body on all aspects of the property industry.

Brian Scowcroft, head of Kingmoor Park Properties, said: "We are delighted to have won such an accolade, particularly in the face of such tough competition as Leeds and Cambridge, who were both short-listed.

"It's a real team effort and is a fitting tribute to the hard work and commitment of all the team."