Lincolnshire independent Mount & Minster has acquired a local rival, Colonia, for an undisclosed sum.

The companies will merge their staff into a larger team in Mount & Minster’s existing office in Lincoln next to the Cathedral.

Most of the Colonia staff have gone with the sale.

James Ward, Mount & Minster partner and head of the Lincoln office, said: “We are very excited about this next chapter for the firm and look forward to providing the same high quality professional service for clients, new and old, with the core of the Colonia staff embedded in our ranks.”

Managing partner Ralph Wyrley-Birch said: “We have been approached by many companies over the last couple of years seeking to become part of our growing business.

“However we have always retained a reputation of delivering a personal and professional service to our clients and have found most companies fail to live up to this culture and are therefore unsuitable to be part of our brand.

“In Colonia we recognised that Kelly and Steve Tasker have over many years provided a friendly and warm service that complements our own, and it is this culture that will remain for the foreseeable future.”

Mount & Minster, which also has an office in Grantham, launched in 2015. As well as sales and lettings, it covers agriculture and surveying across Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.