News

The ideal ‘forever home’ for the average British homeowner is a four-bedroom, detached house in the country, worth £458,000 – and just down the road from Mum, it has emerged. A detailed study of 2,000 UK homeowners, carried out by Origin, the British manufacturer of bespoke aluminium bi-folding doors, residential doors and windows, also found that homeowners hanker after a …

Two Hampshire based companies have been fined after the death of a 42-year old man. Bournemouth Crown Court heard that on 20 July 2012 the sub-contractor working for Quality 1st Building Services Ltd was undertaking remedial work to a roof at a domestic property in Ringwood, Hampshire when he fell seven metres from the roof to the ground and later …

Checkatrade has announced a partnership with construction giant, Caterpillar to offer members 30% off at products at www.shopcaterpillar.co.uk  Members already receive a range of benefits including inclusion in the Checkatrde search feature. To become a member of Checkatrade and join over 25,000 UK tradespeople, potential members must undergo a thorough background check and commit to, and uphold, the ‘Checkatrade Standard’. The …

Costain has announced it will extend its Employee Assistance Programme to its supply chain. The business is among the first in the construction sector to offer the benefits of its Employee Assistance Programme for anyone in the business or supply chain experiencing worry, stress or anxiety caused by health, family, work, legal or other issues. The move underscores the business’ …

A Dorset based company has been fined after a scaffold collapsed at an industrial unit in Wallisdown, Poole. Poole Magistrates’ Court heard how Swanage and Dorset Scaffolding and Roofing Limited (SDSRL) had been contracted to erect scaffolding at the industrial unit in Alder Hills Business Park, Wallisdown, Poole to provide edge protection for work to be carried out on the …

Fancy a weekend getaway this autumn? To celebrate the arrival of Covers’ ‘Bread & Butter’ catalogue, which lists over 450 daily essential accessories. The timber and builders merchant is giving one lucky customer the chance to win a B&B getaway of their choice worth £250. To be in with a chance of winning, simply visit any Covers’ branch and complete …

The landlord of a property in Ilfracombe has been given a suspended sentence for risking the lives of his tenants by undertaking dangerous gas work.

Season to Season Employment – a recruitment company that specialises in seasonal employment is currently looking for skilled carpenters and/or flooring and tiling specialists to work in the French Alps. The company says successful candidates will enjoy the summer season and pre-winter delights in the French Alps honing their skills in and around luxury chalets. Those who want to continue …

Global public health organization NSF International and the Indian Plumbing Skills Council (IPSC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide local testing and certification services for the plumbing industry in India. This MOU will help improve the quality of Indian plumbing products and the skills of Indian plumbers through IPSC’s skill development initiatives under the aegis of the …

A joint venture comprising three companies established to support the Crossrail tunnel construction has been fined a total of more than £1m following three separate incidents on the project, including the death of a worker. Southwark Crown Court heard Renè Tkáčik died after being crushed by falling wet concrete on 7 March 2014. Two other men were injured following separate …

Covers Timber and Builders Merchant in Gosport will be hosting a free Trade Day on Monday 7th August. From 7.30am until 1pm, visitors to the branch, which is located on Gunners Way, will have the chance to meet a variety of experts from a range of top suppliers including ACO Drain, Brett Paving, Dale Windows, Icopal, K-Rend, Millboard Decking and …

A leading Midlands construction firm has unveiled record turnover, bucking the national trend which reported a 9% drop nationwide. Besblock, which has two factories in Telford producing award-winning concrete blocks, said turnover was up 65% year-on-year. It flies in the face of a national slump which was blamed for dragging down Q2 growth. Sales director Martin Fulwell said efficiencies in …

As part of its new Greener Living campaign, which launches today, Kier Living, part of the Kier Group, has partnered with Forest Carbon, a company leading the way in voluntary carbon woodland creation in the UK, and has committed to planting 45,000 new trees by 2020 to offset its carbon usage. Through its partnership with Forest Carbon, Kier Living will …

A third of small building firms say that soaring material prices are squeezing their margins with more than one-in-ten builders report making losses on their building projects as a consequence, according to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Construction SMEs have reported a range of material price increases since the depreciation of sterling following the EU …

A North East based company Mike Neesam & Son Limited has been fined after a collapsing trench wall which led to the death of 43-year old Steven Ratcliffe. Peterlee Magistrates’ Court heard how Mr Radcliffe an employee of Mike Neesam & Son had been working on a toilet refurbishment project on Hall Hill Farm County Durham, when he attempted to …

Three companies have been fined a total of more than £1m after workers were exposed to asbestos while refurbishing a school in Waltham Forest.

The SME construction sector grew in the second quarter of 2017, albeit at a slower rate in most parts of the UK than the first three months of the year, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Key results from the FMB’s State of Trade Survey for Q2 2017, which is the only quarterly assessment of the UK-wide SME …

An engineering firm has been fined for failing to control the risk to employees using handheld power tools from Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). Manchester and Salford Magistrates heard how Newfield Fabrications Co Ltd (NFCL) failed to ensure the risks to its employees from exposure was adequately controlled. The company also failed to ensure its employees were given sufficient information, …