Construction giant Kier said projects in the east of England had contributed to a 14pc boost to its revenue.

Kier Group, which bought Norwich-based May Gurney in 2013 in a £221m deal, announced revenue of £3.4bn for last year.

The property, residential, construction and services group, which employs more than 300 people in Norfolk, announced its full-year results for the year ending June 30.

Pre-tax profits were up 17pc to £85.9m, up from £73.7m the year before.

Kier said a range of local projects had contributed to the strong results, including the £1.1m bus interchange at Thetford.

Kier also provides waste and recycling collections to more than 240,000 Norfolk householders in an eight-year contract with North Norfolk District Council and the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk.

Following Kier's acquisition of May Gurney, in June this year the company completed its £265m acquisition of Mouchel, positioning Kier as a sector leader in the growing UK highways management and maintenance market.

Commenting on the results, Kier Group plc chief executive, Haydn Mursell said: 'I am pleased to announce that we have delivered solid growth and increased profitability. Economic confidence is returning to our core markets and, furthermore, the acquisition of Mouchel represents a major step in accelerating the Group's five-year strategy.

'All of our divisions have performed well. We continue to simplify the portfolio and restructure our businesses and invest in our future growth. With a £9.3bn order book, a strong balance sheet and continued progress on our Vision 2020 goals this year, we look forward to the future with confidence.'