INSURANCE giant Admiral, which employs hundreds of people in Newport, has been voted the best place to work in the UK.

Admiral Group was named the best large place to work in the UK by the Great Place to Work Institute in their Best Workplaces list.

Admiral came top in the large category, open to businesses with 500 or more employees.

 It rose from 9th place last year and is the first time it has topped the poll.

It beat Capital One Europe PLC and McDonald's to the top spot.

Admiral employs 4,600 people in Wales - 448 in Newport, 1,800 in Swansea and 2,352 in Cardiff.

The rankings are based on three factors: the trust people have in their managers, the pride they have in the work they do and how much they enjoy working with their colleagues.

Admiral Group CEO, Henry Engelhardt said, "We are over the moon. Our position is based on what our employees think about working for Admiral which makes it very gratifying."

Staff at the Newport call centre said fun days, a close-knit feel and friendliness made it a nice place to work.

Abbi Whitehouse, 20, from Griffithstown, said: "We deserve to be number one, it's not just a call centre, it's like a family here. Every department gets to organise events, today we're having three-legged race and peer pong."

Jess Zak, 20, from Blackwood, said: "They do loads to motivate people, I love working here - it's a relaxed atmosphere and your team is your work family."

Chris Dee, 25, from Langstone, said: "The good thing working here is everyone is on the same level, from top managers to people who have just started, everyone is very approachable. Plus, if you work hard, you can progress quickly."

Rob Bruce, 20, from Cwmbran added: "It's a good place to work because you can work your way up and everybody is amazing."