A leading accountancy firm is celebrating its 5,000th customer – and its fifth birthday.

Crunch Accounting, a Cloud-hosted service based in Hove, is the UK’s fastest growing accountancy firm.

The 5,000th client, a taekwondo academy in Reading, was awarded with a year’s free subscription.

Managing director Darren Fell said: “For a company that started out with just a few laptops on my kitchen table, Crunch has undergone five fantastic years of growth.

“We’re about to expand into a bigger office space, will soon be launching the new Crunch Academy and the Crunch café.

“Best of all, we’re looking forward to even more growth in the next five years and are constantly seeking new talent.”

Crunch has an annual fee income of £3.5 million and boasted 71 per cent growth in the last financial year.

It combines in-house expert accountants on the phone with user-friendly online software for freelancers, contractors and small businesses.

The firm has had investment from Bebo co-founder Paul Birch, while former Skype chairman Michael van Swaaij is now Crunch chairman.