ACCOUNTANCY firm Monahans has acquired the Melksham office of Randall and Payne. Monahans employs about 160 partners and staff and has offices in Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon and Chippenham.

The firm welcomed Randall and Payne's Melksham-based partner, Mary Parke, along with employees Stephen Bray and Jamie Smith, to its staff on Monday.

Mark Snelus, senior partner at Monahans, said: "Mary, Stephen and Jamie will have a key role to play in introducing former Randall & Payne clients to Monahans and will help provide an excellent ongoing service for those clients.

"This is a major step forward for our Chippenham office and is, we hope, phase one of the further development of our business in Chippenham and the surrounding area."

Ian Lloyd, Chippenham-based partner, will continue to have overall responsibility for client servicing work, including ultimate responsibility for former Randall & Payne clients.

Monahans is a leading independent firm of chartered accountants, providing a complete range of business advisory services.

Clients range from corporate businesses and partnerships to sole traders and private clients.

The firm, which has other offices in Glaston-bury and Swindon, also specialises in tax planning, both for individuals and businesses.

The full range of capital and income taxes, plus VAT is covered by this planning service.

It provides advice to small and medium sized businesses on such issues as mergers, management buy-outs, business sales and financial re-structuring.

The full range of services also includes corporate recovery, insolvency, forensic accounting and a rapidly growing payroll department.

This extensive range of services, which is very unusual outside the major cities, has seen the firm take its place as one of the major accountancy practices in the country.