THREE ex-servicemen have found a job away from the front line – running a letting agency’s new maintenance operation.

The men, two former sailors and an ex-soldier, have been praised by bosses for organising the business spin-off “like a military operation”.

North Hill-based Clever Student Lets is growing so rapidly it has opened a second office at the HQ Business Centre, in Union Street, for its maintenance, utilities and support team, which works on student accommodation across the city.

Phillip Coker served in the British Army and the Household Calvary, and is now property inspector for Clever Student Lets.

He said: “People from the armed forces have a lot to offer employers, and we are applying a camaraderie not just in the way we work together, but in actually doing anything to support our customers.”

Stuart Lawson, maintenance manager, said: “I served more than a decade in the Royal Navy and my team is now bringing discipline to a multi-million-pound business, looking after our frontline services and taking care of accommodation blocks, but especially the welfare of our UK and international students.

“We have changed the way accommodation is provided for students studying in Plymouth, and our clients’ expectations demand the best service, maintenance, and quality.”

The third member of the team, Neville Pooley, added: “I was an electronics engineer in the Royal Navy, and now I’m utilities administrator dealing with our massive property portfolio across the city, and making sure it runs like clockwork.”

Henry Hutchins, chief executive of Clever Student Lets, said: “The qualities our ex-services personnel bring to the company are second to none, and our new offices in Union Street are adding value to the business.”