ANOTHER burst of merger mania has set the property world buzzing.

Just two months after agricultural valuers and auctioneers Gwyn and Richard Williams amalgamated their Ross-on-Wye practice with Gwilym Richards of London, the trio have now swept into the residential market.

They have joined forces with John Parry, one of the biggest independent names in regional estate agency. The company has offices in Ross-on-Wye, Lydney in Gloucestershire and Monmouth, Chepstow and Usk in Wales.

He and his staff sell more than 500 properties a year and, with new homes departments in every branch, act for leading national and regional developers, including Lovell, David Wilson, Countryside, Bellway, Beechgrove and Keith Bell.

The new firm will now be know as Williams Parry Richards and will be rebranded with a yellow and blue corporate identity.

"This is an exciting fusion of one of the region's most successful rural property practices with one of the area's most successful urban agencies," said Richard Williams.

"We now have one foot in the town and another in the country. This means we are able to offer past, present and future clients a complete property service."