“HAPPY CHRISTMAS – AND TAKE AN EXTRA DAY’S PAID HOLIDAY ON THE FIRM!”

That’s the message employees at one of Southampton’s longest-established waste management businesses are receiving as they prepare for the seasonal break.

Bosses at Botley-based Cleansing Service Group (CSG) have decided to mark the company’s 75th anniversary with a bonus holiday for all its members of staff who have been invited to extend their New Year break by taking an additional day off to spend with their families.

CSG was founded in 1934 as a one-man business providing a cesspit emptying service in the Botley area.

Since then the company has grown to become one of Britain’s largest privately-owned waste management groups, operating across many sectors with a customer base including Government departments, local authorities, utility companies and major supermarket groups, as well as 45,000 domestic customers.

It manages complex waste handling facilities all over the country and employs a national workforce of 380 including 100 based at Botley.

Despite the economic downturn, CSG is continuing to expand. It recently acquired the Blandford-based print waste specialist company J & G Environmental as well as announcing a £12 million investment plan to replace its entire vehicle fleet. It’s currently preparing to move into a new headquarters building in Southampton.

CSG managing director Paul Quigley said: “We’re very proud to have been a part of the Southampton business scene for so long and wanted to celebrate our 75th birthday in some way. We’re still very much a family-orientated business and we thought the best way of doing it was to give our entire staff an extended holiday break in the New Year.

“At least it’s a small piece of good news in the current economic gloom when sadly many companies are asking staff not to return to work because business is bad.

“We operate a 24-hour emergency call-out scheme so some of the staff will have to be on duty on January 2 which is the bonus day, but we’ll make sure nobody misses out on the extra day off.”