In results released on Tues­day morning, the Basing­stoke-headquartered firm’s pre-tax earnings rose by over a third, to £102.4m, on a turn­over of £687.5m, an increase of 12.6%.

De La Rue said that its bank­note printing operation had driven the improved results, and it was operating at near capacity levels in the second half of the year. Overall bank­note volumes increased by 19.5% compared to the previous year, the company said.

De La Rue chairman Nicholas Brookes said: “We enter 2007/8 with a strong order backlog in both operating divisions, providing a solid platform for the year ahead.”