Matt Hall, partner at Wilkins Kennedy, said: ‘Griffins is a well-established and highly respected firm in Newbury and Reading, and we are delighted to be joining forces with them to grow our combined business. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to the WK team and to working with them.’

Wilkins Kennedy, ranked at number 19 in Accountancy’s Top 75 accounting firms league table with annual fee income of £40.5m in 2016, said the deal formed a key part of its growth strategy.

As well as providing a strong presence in Newbury, Reading and Berkshire, the firm now has continuous office coverage from Southampton and the south coast, through Winchester and up to the M4 corridor.

It has 73 partners and approximately 500 staff over 17 UK offices and one office in the Falkland Islands.

Two Griffins directors will join Wilkins Kennedy. Chris Duggan joins as a partner and Ken Weeks as a consultant.