A SPITFIRE flypast heralded the opening of a new office and warehouse complex at South Marston Business Park.

The aircraft, piloted by Squadron Leader Paul Day AFC, who is in charge of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, performed victory loops over the former Vickers site where, during World War Two, Spitfires were built at the rate of 444 a week.

Now the buildings have been bought and renovated by BSS, part of the Hampton Trust plc and well known for its business enterprise site in Cheney Manor.

It consists of 16 luxury serviced offices in Berkeley House and adjoining warehouses able to accommodate up to 60 units.

Swindon Mayor Stan Pajak officially declared the Berkeley House office block and adjoining warehouse units open.

Those present also included Maureen Harvey, general manager of BSS, and its chairman Graeme Jackson, as well as other top executives.

A special guest was World War Two Bomber Command hero, and former Spitfire pilot, Group Captain WSO Randle, 82.

He said: "This brings back wonderful memories and seeing the plane was a wonderful sight."

Tenants already up and running on the premises are Solid Wood Flooring, wire erosion specialists Alpha, a hair and beauty products wholesaler, a hi-tech engineering company and a garage door distributor to the domestic market which has an on-site showroom and warehouse, and a plant and machinery service and hire which has taken on about 50 people in Swindon over recent weeks.

In the Berkeley House offices, tenants include a new enterprise, an academy for training professional stylists in specialist areas.

The BSS venture will open up the way for the creation of more than 100 jobs, says BSS general manager Maureen Harvey.

"This venture reflects our first at Cheney Manor, which created about 350 jobs and numerous success stories as companies expended from being start-up to fully fledge companies, many of them now of major significance to the town's economy," she said.

"BSS South Marston, which is ideally situated for transport and access to all parts of the country, is already off to a good start, and we are confident it will repeat the success of Cheney Manor, this time on the eastern side of Swindon."