Work begins on cable company's Abu Dhabi factory

The new factory will cost about £42m in three phases

Work has begun on a new factory in Abu Dhabi for a south of Scotland cabling company.

Emtelle, which has its headquarters in Hawick, hopes it will boosts its presence in key markets such as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan.

The work will be carried out in three phases at a total cost of about £42m.

The company currently employs more than 800 staff worldwide with about half of them in the Scottish Borders.

Emtelle Group chief executive Tony Rodgers said it was delighted to see construction work begin on the new plant.

He said the move demonstrated the firm's commitment to customers in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Emtelle describes itself as a "leading global manufacturer of pre-connectorised, blown fibre cable, and ducted network solutions".

The company was founded in Jedburgh more than 40 years ago.