Orders from around the country have been pouring into a Brighton company after it proved not all tradesmen are mavericks.

Parker Plumbing, based in Dyke Road, came out on top in a secret survey carried out by Which? Magazine on gas fitters, beating off competition from British Gas and other companies.

Unsuspecting employees Sean Collier and Tom Parker were dispatched to service a boiler in Worthing and were awarded top marks for their work. Company proprietor Laurence Parker said: "The two engineers arrived and carried out a thorough service, did all the necessary safety checks, identified a leak and carried out a good service."

Although Mr Parker was a little concerned when Which? contacted him and said his firm would be featured in the survey he was delighted to hear they were being highly praised.

He said: "The company has been going for 14 years and I think one of the reasons we are probably still here is that we are fair and honest. We generally treat people in the same manner as we would expect to be treated ourselves, but it's nice to get a pat on the back like this."

The family-run company, which has a showroom for bathrooms and heating equipment in addition to the fitting service, has been inundated with calls and orders since it was featured in the magazine.

Mr Parker said: "We have had calls from Salisbury, Winchester and even London. Organisations do these surveys but the truth is there are a lot of highly professional companies out there and picking out a few bad ones to make an example gives a really bad image."

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