A locksmith’s punny title has been crowned Britain’s best small business name.

Surelock Homes, a Hastings locksmith, was crowned by insurance company Simply Business and won £2,500.

The company curated a list of ten small businesses across Britain with the wittiest names.

Also featured in the top ten is Brighton waste clearance business, Lord of the Bins, which was at the centre of a copyright lawsuit in 2023.

The business received a formal cease and desist notice from Middle Earth Enterprises, which manages the intellectual property of Lord of the Rings writer J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Argus: Lord of the Bins came fifth in the competitionLord of the Bins came fifth in the competition (Image: Lord of the Bins)

The company also reportedly asked for the business’s slogan, “One Ring To Remove It All”, to be changed.

READ MORE: Brighton-based 'Lord of the Bins' ordered to change name

Surelock Homes is based in Elphinstone Road, Hastings, and provides a range of services across East Sussex such as lock replacements, lock-outs, and security upgrades.

Matt Triboulliard, owner of Surelock Homes, said: “I was delighted to be nominated for Simply Business’ competition to find Britain’s best small business name.

“I never expected to win and I’m so proud to have won from such an awesome list of business names.

“Almost on a daily basis a member of the public will make a comment or take a picture of the vehicle and it's brought in untold amounts of work.”

The Argus: Business owner Matt Triboulliard with his winning trophyBusiness owner Matt Triboulliard with his winning trophy (Image: Simply Business)

Bea Montoya, COO at Simply Business, said: “We’ve seen many memorable entries to this year’s Britain’s Best Small Business Name competition, and it’s a credit to the creativity and innovation of the nation’s SME owners.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and this competition sums up the wonderful spirit and humour that they bring to their businesses every day.

“We’re delighted to be able to award Matt from Surelock Homes with the £2,500 cash prize to support their business journey.”

The winner was voted in by over 2,500 members of the public, with the shortlist chosen by comedian Darren Walsh.

Research carried out by Simply Business found that a funny or witty business name draws in more customers, with 51 percent of consumers saying they’re likely to shop at a business with a funny name.