A MAJOR High Street bank is offering help to people in the two counties struggling to keep their business on track.

HSBC is now offering a free, telephone-based business support service to all businesses transferring their banking relationship from another bank.

Formerly only available to start-up customers, the Business Support Helpline offers practical advice for business customers.

"Independent specialists, from lawyers to accountants and tax experts, have answered more than 14,000 calls from more than 8,000 HSBC customers in the past two-and-a-half years," said John Rendall, head of business banking at HSBC.

"The first few years are crucial for a new business and it's a time when they may well need advice on any number of subjects."

He said the most common issues new businesses struggled with were law and tax.

"Often, as a business develops over the years, the questions get even more complicated and critical. People quite often don't know where to go to get this help so HSBC has provided a practical solution for customers."

The service, which operates from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, would normally cost £150 a year. But for the first 12 months, businesses starting up or moving their business banking to HSBC will receive it free.

For more information phone 08457 404142.