Civils contractors said today that growth in the infrastructure sector is steady, but that there are mixed expectations of how the market will develop in the next 12 months.

The results are from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association’s quarterly Workload Trends Survey. CECA  With more than 300 members split across eight regions, CECA represents firms who together carry out an estimated 70-80 per cent of all civil engineering activity in the UK, in the key sectors of transport, energy, communications, waste and water.

Results from the survey found that workloads increased in 2016 Q4 according to 11 per cent of British firms, on balance. Order books increased for 19 per cent of firms.

However, while 60 per cent of English firms, on balance, expect workloads to increase over the next year, both Scottish and Welsh firms expected a decline.

Commenting, CECA Chief Executive Alasdair Reisner said:

“These results show that the long-forecast increase in infrastructure investment may finally be gathering pace. If this growth is sustained it will drive growth and create jobs in the wider economy.”

“But CECA remains concerned that this growth is not evenly balanced across the UK. We hope that future surveys will see growth pick up, ensuring that these benefits are spread evenly across Britain as a whole.”