Etesia UK general manager Les Malin said that the mowers were versatile and with increasingly unstable weather conditions, users were looking for a greater range of attachments.

The mowers can be fitted with a snow blade - useful for clearing snow from car parks and play areas. The wheels can also be fitted with chains and the machines can be supplied with an enclosed cab.

Ransomes Jacobsen also boasts continuing sales of machines for cutting sports turf. Northumbria University has bought a Ransomes Parkway triple mower fitted with floating head cylinders for maintaining the university's 13 football and rugby grounds.

Northumbria University has also bought an Iseki TG5470 tractor for general grounds maintenance.