May Gurney wins £65m new contracts

Infrastructure firm May Gurney today revealed it has won two contracts with the water industry worth £65m over the next five years.

The firm, based at Trowse on the outskirts of Norwich, has been awarded the contracts by Wessex Water.

The first contract - a £40m five year "strategic grid" deal - covers the reinforcement of Wessex Water's mains supply system, including pumping stations and large pipelines.

The second deal - a £25m five year "network" contract - includes mechanical and electrical (M&E) work linked to the upgrade, maintenance and construction of new water treatment and waste facilities in the Wessex Water region.

The deal follows a separate £170m long-term contract with South West Water.

May Gurney chief executive Philip Fellowes-Prynne said lonmg-term contracts with the public sector or regulated utilities and railways now accounted for 95pc of the firm's business - adding that May Gurney now had forward order book of £1.4bn.

"We are delighted to have been awarded two new long-term contracts for Wessex Water, which further consolidates May Gurney's position as a leading provider of essential support services to the water industry. We were chosen because of our proven track record of developing successful long-term partnerships to deliver great performance, the technical expertise of our M&E teams and our industry leadership on environmental and waste management issues."

About 700 of May Gurney's 5,000 UK employees are based in Norfolk. The firm maintains more than 6,500 miles of the UK's water network serving about 9000,000 households.

Other companies it carries out maintenance services for include Anglian Water, Thames Water and British Waterways.

In December, May Gurney unveiled a record £239m turnover and a 21pc rise in half year pre tax profits.

Revenues increased by £7.5m compared to the same period the year before, while half-year pre-tax profits rose from £7m to £8.5m.