The internet and telephone insurance firm, esure, has said it plans to create 700 jobs in Scotland over the next five years.

The company, which is backed by �150m from the Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has opened new offices in the centre of Glasgow.

Esure aims to make it the largest of its three offices. The other two are in Reigate, Surrey, and Cheadle Hume, in Cheshire.

The firm currently employs more than 650 staff in the UK, 200 of them in The Equinox building in Glasgow in a mixture of sales, claims and support roles.

Opening the offices, chairman Peter Wood said: "The achievements of our staff here are contributing to esure becoming a major insurance company."

The company was started last year with backing from the Halifax to provide insurance for motorists and homeowners.

It was founded by Mr Wood who, as the founder of Direct Line insurance, has a track record for innovative financial services.