A READING office of one of Britain's major financial firms will be closing to boost the company's job numbers in Scotland, according to the BBC.

M&G Prudential has told staff that it is expanding its presence in Stirling and Edinburgh, while retaining an office near its London headquarters.

The Reading office, based close to Reading Station, will close as part of the plans, as well as one in Chelmsford and two in London.

By 2025, most of the company's employees will be based north of the border.

There are currently about 4,500 staff in the UK.

Over the next 18 months, 400 employees at the Craigforth building in Stirling will move to an expanded M&G Prudential office in the Gyle business park in west Edinburgh.

M&G was taken over by Prudential in 1999, but operated separately until 2017, when it was folded into the M&G Prudential division.

It handles savings and investments for six million UK and European customers in 29 markets.