Insurance firm Cox is to create hundreds of extra jobs in Bradford in the next 12 months, more than doubling its workforce.

As it continues to win new contracts from top Internet firms, the Bradford branch of the company, in Little Germany, has already created 250 jobs in the ten months it has been in the city. And it has extended its offices to create 500 posts in the next 12 months - with the possibility of even more jobs after that.

And bosses at Cox today praised the quality of its Bradford recruits. Operations director Maria Bourke described them as "incredibly sale focused, friendly and efficient".

The firm, which has its headquarters in Brentwood, Essex, already uses the fourth and fifth floors of the Wells Street building. And, as more space is required, it is taking over extra floors.

Now a contract to handle the online insurance business Egg Insure will help the company boost job numbers.

Cox chose its Bradford call centre as the flagship for its online insurance business and has been successful in recruiting people from the district who are keen to work with the Internet. Agents already handle 24-hour customer service calls for Cox's own insurance channel, insure.co.uk.

The firm has attracted other big names such as Yahoo! Finance, Freeserve, Peugeot and Mitsubishi.

Maria Bourke said: "We are extremely excited about this, which is fantastic news for Cox and Bradford. We have a recruitment drive on at the moment to make sure we provide service to the highest levels.

"We have now extended our office space to accommodate more than 500 call centre staff within the next 12 months and Bradford is proving to be the perfect location.

"The people we have recruited are an incredibly sales-focused, friendly and efficient."

e-mail: paul.parker-

@bradford.newsquest.co.uk