A TEESSIDE accountancy firm is removing the need for clients to hold tax and accounts information at their homes and offices.

Hartlepool-based Waltons Clark Whitehill has developed a secure document exchange (SDE) on its new website - www.waltonscw.co.uk  - a move which has allowed it to store back-up copies of other important documents such as passports and driving licences.

The SDE, thought to be the first employed by accountants on Teesside, is designed to make the transfer and storage of documents quicker, safer and more efficient.

All data is held in a secure environment and transmitted over industrial standard SSL (secure sockets layer) connections.

Data is encrypted for transmission and securely backed up, while clients can access their financial details at any time of the day.

Heather O’Driscoll, managing partner at Waltons Clark Whitehill, said: “Secure storage of important financial documents has always been a source of concern, while the amount of space such things can take up in homes and offices is often quite excessive.

“This new system offers a safe and secure solution to both of these concerns, as well as providing a way for other important documents to be stored or backed up.

“It provides the opportunity to say goodbye to the days of rummaging through files and folders of paperwork, looking for a particular document, replacing that with an efficient online system.

“With HMRC’s latest consultation document pushing for wider use of its online tax return system, the drive for more financial work to be conducted through the internet makes this a natural fit.”