A Chennai-based software firm has become the latest Indian company to open a base

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in north-east England, where several Indian companies have recently moved.

5th Generation Technologies (5G), which produces business intelligence tools for manufacturing and retail firms, is moving to Sunderland's Software City, where it will create 25 jobs.

There are now 15 Indian companies in north-east England, including Shasun, MSSL, Nicholas Piramal and Tech Mahindra, which employ more than 1,500 people in the region.

5th Generation Technologies received a 200,000 pounds business investment grant from One North East, a regional development agency, partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The company plans to use Sunderland as its European base and is keen to export the software it develops in the North-East into new markets across the continent.

Sunderland Software City was created to encourage the growth of the region's software industry and provides firms with support for marketing, business development and sales as well as access to HR, legal and accountancy services to help them get established.