HOUSE builder Barratt's York office has acquired more than 50 acres of land in the region, worth a total of £24 million - and it is looking for more.

The announcement underlines that Barratts is unfazed by a Granada TV documentary in the Tonight programme hosted by Trevor McDonald, which, using undercover filming, criticised shoddy workmanship on some Barratt estates and on one a cavalier attitude towards customers' complaints. A site manager claimed he even forged the signature of some purchasers on satisfaction forms.

Barratt totally rejects the criticisms, saying that these were isolated instances which did not involve Barratt in this part of the country.

Its spokesman added: "The vast majority of our buyers are entirely satisfied with their new homes and the service we provide to them.

"We have a skilled workforce, our standards are high and our inspection procedures are thorough. Our buyers can be assured they will receive a first-class product and service."

The company's own research shows that of more than 2,500 purchasers of its new homes over the past year, fewer than 1.5 per cent expressed any concerns. The latest land buy-up consists mostly of brownfield sites throughout Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and will form the basis for expansion this year.

Barratt York division is building 20 developments, including in York, Harrogate, Bridlington, Scarborough, Catterick, Northallerton, Hull and Grimsby as well as several rural locations - and there are plans for ten more in the pipeline. Barratt's managing director John Reed said that in spite of the new deposits in the regional land bank the company needed to continue its land acquisition programme.