Principle Cleaning Services, the London-based cleaning specialist, has opened a Centre of Excellence for its window cleaning division.

The new Principle Windows facility in Stratford has a training and classroom area for its high-level access team, secure and dry storage facilities for rope access equipment and state-of-the-art reach and wash filtration tanks. The company has also added electric vehicles to its fleet to support its objective to be the most sustainable cleaning company to work for.

The window cleaning division was set up in 2013 with four employees from East London Business Alliance - a non-profit making organisation, which gives local people the opportunity to get back to work. It now directly employs 75 full-time staff including IRATA-trained abseilers, a five-strong management team with a manager devoted to rope access activities and a technical lead and full-time safety and administrative support. The division has annual turnover of around £5m.

With this investment and commitment to specialist work at height, the rope access team has achieved probationary IRATA accreditation.

David Saville, Window Cleaning Operations Director at Principle Cleaning Services, said: “Our new Centre of Excellence is the next step in our growth plan for the window cleaning division. Principle has become a market leader in London with innovation and constant improvement forming the basis of the team’s culture. The division has come a long way since 2013 and we look forward to many more years of adding value for our clients with consistent focus on safety, innovation, technology and sustainability.”