THE number of firms in the region struggling to stay in business has fallen by 25% since last year, according to new data.According to the Red Flag Alert report by the accountancy firm Begbies Traynor, 465 firms in the region were "critical" in the three months to the end of September, down from 627 last time.

Critical is defined as either having a court action against the firm, a winding-up petition, or having en......for the full story register now for free or login below...