A BURNLEY company has been hailed as one of ‘the best examples of passion, innovation and creativity in UK business’ at the country's biggest internet awards.

Online data security specialists EncryptionBox Ltd, which was officially formed by directors Lee Mansfield, Steve Bailey and Phil Smith in July, won the Security Innovation award in the E-Services category at the Digital Entrepreneur Awards.

Sponsored by web hosting and colocation firm UKFast, the annual awards, dedicated to the digital community, saw start-ups and established firms in traditional and emerging sectors celebrate their hard work over the past 12 months.

The company specialises in secure online storage, encrypted file sharing and secure messaging for businesses with highly confidential data.

And with cybercrime at an all-time high, hitting both business and governments hard, the directors are working on deals with several blue chip companies, financial institutions and a top secret project in America.

Sixteen winners were announced at the awards bash held at the Hilton Hotel in Manchester in front of 300 internet and mobile based business people.

Managing director Lee Mansfield said: “In six months we have put 12 months of work into this project; sleepless nights have paid off on the start of this very exciting business venture."

Lawrence Jones, UKFast’s CEO, said: “The Digital Entrepreneur Awards are all about collaboration and finding and nurturing the UK’s digital talent.

“They are the awards for real businesses – they give hard-working entrepreneurs and creatives a pat on the back for the sacrifices they’re making building their companies.”