A FLOURISHING Widnes recycling and resource management company has been taken over.

WSR Recycling on Ditton Road has been sold to Irish waste business PandaGreen Limited.

Directors and owners of WSR husband and wife Nick and Amanda Prescott founded the firm 27 years ago.

In 2015, they announced a record turnover of £10.7 million, a 50 per cent rise on the previous year.

Since then, business has grown further to a turnover of £14 million and expanded to employ 50 staff.

The couple said: “We feel it is the right time to move on and pursue other ventures and interests and let one of the major waste management companies build on the existing and thriving business.

“We have been fortunate enough to have a great team of staff who have also helped to drive the business forward.”

The Prescotts have stepped down as directors and been succeeded by Brian McCabe and Eamon Waters from PandaGreen.

The company, which will continue to be known as WSR Recycling, processes commercial, industrial, municipal, construction and demolition waste.

The firm has contracts with Halton Council, Warrington Council and Merseyside Waste and Recycling Authority.

Mr McCabe, managing director of PandaGreen, which has around 1,300 employees across Ireland and the UK, said: “We are very excited to acquire WSR and it is our intention to continue with what is already in place and to build and develop this even further, ensuring the company continues to provide the quality of service that customers have been used to.

“This acquisition is part of our strategic growth plans for the UK.”

This is the company’s second acquisition in the UK.

WSR managed the waste material from the Mersey Gateway bridge project.

By sheer coincidence, the site’s predecessors were responsible for the management of materials during the construction of the Silver Jubilee bridge which opened in 1961.