Ricardo (www.ricardo.com), the West Sussex engineering and environmental consultancy, has acquired Cascade Consulting.

It said that this is in line with its strategy of extending its reach into sectors associated with water and other scarce resources, and that the acquisition follows a successful collaboration with Cascade that began in February.

It added that Cascade has particular expertise in the areas of water-resource management, catchment management, water quality, water treatment, flooding and coastal management, along with environmental-impact assessment.

The newly acquired business has 34 employees and generates revenues of around £3 million.