NEARLY two million people in Britain are using a swipe card payment system thought up, produced and based, in Herefordshire.

The man behind the biggest electronic payment network in the UK is Tony Killeen, managing director of allpay.net - which has been described as one of the most dynamic businesses in the country.

It started as a two-man band in small offices at Kingstone and this week the company began its move to £1.5 million purpose-built state-of-the-art headquarters at Whitestone Business Park.

The workforce has grown to 61 and Mr Killeen has included a bistro, gymnasium and landscaped gardens in the new HQ for his staff.

Mr Killeen, a former Army man, said the growth of allpay.net was 'unbelievable', moving in leaps and bounds over the past four years.

Now the company has 450 clients, including many councils and housing associations, and nearly two million people who pay their rents or council tax with swipe cards.

Among them are Sheffield City Council, with 70,000 tenants, and Bristol City Council, with 30,000.

Soon allpay.net is hoping to take on board Herefordshire Housing, supplying around 6,000 tenants with swipe cards.

Housing spokesman Martin Smith confirmed tenants were being consulted and the new system could be introduced in the near future.

Mr Killeen had a vision of the new electronic age while helping to collect rents for the former Hereford City Council.

He decided there was a much better way than working with paper-based bills, and allpay.net was born.

His company provides the swipe cards and people can use them to make their payments at any post office and many shops throughout the country. They can also be made on line. Every one passes through allpay.net's computer based system at Whitestone.

"Up to 40 per cent of the public are said not to have bank accounts, and often rent collectors have difficulty in finding people at home when they visit. This is a much more convenient way for many people," said Rebecca Morris, allpay.net's marketing assistant.

The company, with a £6 million-plus turnover last year, makes its money through holding the cash for up to 10 days before transferring it to clients, and benefiting from the interest.

Its seems the sky could be the limit for the Herefordshire company still bursting with ideas.

Ten more clients are coming on line this month, with 80 more preparing to sign up. It is looking at ways of involving universities and student cards, the possible development of identity cards and a payment service for home shopping.

Allpay.net has also formed a sister company allpay.print to develop a printing business.

The new Whitestone HQ was built by local company Collins Engineering and staff started moving in this week.

Allpay.net's swipe card making unit will remain in its present address at Madley for the time being.