A Wiltshire Mini repair garage has reached an impressive milestone after completing job number 200,000.

Somerford Mini Ltd was started by Peter Hines in 1990 and have been restoring and repairing classic Minis at its current premises in Calne since 2016.

Mr Hines, who left his career as a cabinet maker to pursue his passion for classic Minis over 30 years ago, began in a rented farm building and dug his inspection pit by hand. He is proud of how far the business has come since.

He said: “It started off as just me, I just took the plunge not knowing what I was doing, but the business has grown over the years.

“It’s a landmark moment for sure. It’s made me realise how successful we’ve been and how many people rely on us to keep their cars on the road all over the road.”

Mr Hines described the company as a “one stop shop for anyone owning a classic Mini”. What began as a one man workshop now employs seven people who offer everything from repairs to supplying parts and full restorations.

The company takes orders from as far afield as New Zealand, Brazil and Japan, with overseas customers accounting for 60 per cent of their trade.

The most unique of these orders was a recent request to build a replica of Mr Bean’s iconic Mini Cooper.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The team recently built a replica of Mr Bean's iconic Mini CooperThe team recently built a replica of Mr Bean's iconic Mini Cooper (Image: Somerford Mini Ltd)

“We went into very fine detail for the customer”, remembered Mr Hines. “We had to watch all the videos and analyse what that car was so that was quite a lot of fun.

“What gives me the most pleasure is taking a car that is literally a wreck. For the lads to rebuild and restore a car that is badly decayed gives the biggest sense of achievement.”

Mr Hines’ love of Minis started when he saved up to buy a Mini Cooper as his first car and repaired it himself. He thinks the popularity of the brand has helped his business succeed.

He added: “They’re incredibly popular. They’re a people’s car that appeals to a very broad cross section of people from A list celebrities down to the man in the street. I still drive one every day.”

As well as exporting parts across the world, the business also sponsors Swindon Town Ladies’ development team.

Their latest challenge is a staff shortage and a lack of skilled mechanics has caused a backlog of 15 months’ worth of work.

Somerford Minis are currently looking to hire two people in their workshop to ease the pressure.