Two of East Bilney Coachworks Group sites are celebrating after being named as two of the finalists in the Peugeot/Citroen independent bodyshop of the year awards for their continually high levels of service and customer care.

The company, which employs 41 people at East Bilney and 34 at Whiting Road in Norwich, beat off stiff competition to be two of only a few finalists from the UK network of Peugeot/Citroen accident repair centres and were presented with their certificates by the car-makers' district bodyshop development manager Bob Footner.

Launched in January 2011, the programme recognises excellence in accident repair and all of the Peugeot and Citroen centres were measured on a monthly basis against a set of points-scoring criteria and key performance indicators, such as customer satisfaction and technical training.

The district bodyshop development manager worked closely with them to try and achieve the highest possible score.

David Gibson, at East Bilney Coachworks, said: 'This award is an acknowledgment of all the hard work the team has put into the business and to be finalists with two sites in Peugeot/Citroen's franchised/independent bodyshop of the year highlights that we are at the forefront of the accident repair industry. This achievement reinforces our commitment to delivering high quality and safe repairs, combined with outstanding customer care.'

David Jones, manager at the Norwich (South) site, said: 'Even in these tough times East Bilney Coachworks are continually investing in equipment to help reduce costs and speed up repairs and also making sure its staff have the best equipment available to them.'

East Bilney Coachworks thanked their nominating dealerships Desira Group, Citroen in Diss and Great Yarmouth and Walkers Motor Group Peugeot in King's Lynn for their help and support.

Adrian Mossop, Peugeot/Citroen accident repair programme manager, said: 'The accident repair sector is a vital part of our industry and I'm pleased that East Bilney Coachworks has been recognised as being one of the very best bodyshops in the UK. This clearly demonstrates the team's commitment to delivering a first-class service to Peugeot/Citroen customers.'