Costains record order book

The Costain Group, one of the UK's leading construction companies, trading update has revealed that the company has a record £2.4billion in forward orders, with £900million work secured for 2009.

The new contracts include a £397million deal with Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, a £400million agreement with Severn Trent and a £200million maintenance contract with the Highways Agency.

In addition, the Group has Preferred Bidder positions of over £800 million, and the current level of tendering activity remains high.

In total, Costain's forward order book worth £2.4billion, an increase of 20% on this time last year. As a result, the firm expects to perform in line with the board's expectations. It will report its interim results on 26 August.