The biggest UK construction failures
Ranked by turnover in each company's last accounts before it failed, from the larger firms in our failures register. Each links to its timeline, the figures and the official records.
| # | Company | Failed | Last turnover | Staff | Owed to creditors | Expected return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CarillionCompulsory liquidation · Losses on contracts | 2018 | £4.4bn | 31,628 | £2.0bn | none expected for Carillion Construction; uncertain for the plc (September 2025) |
| 2 | InterserveAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2019 | £2.9bn | 41,423 | £815mto lenders | prescribed part only (at most £600,000 in total); the businesses went to its lenders |
| 3 | ISGCreditors' voluntary liquidation · Losses on contracts | 2024 | £2.2bn | 3,079 | £885m | none expected |
| 4 | ROK BuildingAdministration · Market downturn | 2010 | £691m | 4,281 | £230m | prescribed part only (£600,000 in total) |
| 5 | Buckingham Group ContractingAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2023 | £665m | 658 | £198m | none expected |
| 6 | Connaught PartnershipsAdministration · Market downturn | 2010 | £516m | 4,603 | £160m | nil |
| 7 | Readie ConstructionAdministration · Cost inflation | 2024 | £421m | 260 | £26m | none expected |
| 8 | NMCNAdministration · Cash flow | 2021 | £405m | 1,789 | £61m | none expected |
| 9 | Henry Construction ProjectsAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2023 | £402m | 49 | £43m | a payment may be possible; amount not yet known |
| 10 | JarvisAdministration | 2010 | £346m | 2,930 | £14m | nil |
| 11 | Ardmore Construction GroupAdministration · Legal claims | 2026 | £344m | 541 | £11m | none expected |
| 12 | Geoffrey OsborneAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2024 | £326m | 870 | £35m | nil |
| 13 | Midas ConstructionAdministration · Covid-19 | 2022 | £261m | 254 | £19m | none expected |
| 14 | GB Building SolutionsAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2015 | £200m | 236 | £30m | |
| 15 | Tolent ConstructionAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2023 | £198m | 365 | £45m | none expected |
| 16 | Michael J. LonsdaleAdministration · Funding withdrawn | 2023 | £191m | 237 | £118m | none assumed by the administrators |
| 17 | Stewart Milne GroupAdministration · Sale or investment failed | 2024 | £184m | 486 | £154m | about 0p in the pound |
| 18 | Inland HomesAdministration · Market downturn | 2023 | £182m | 138 | ||
| 19 | Torsion ConstructionAdministration · Cost inflation | 2026 | £165m | 147 | £16m | highly unlikely |
| 20 | Clugston ConstructionAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2019 | £158m | 441 | £71m | prescribed part only |
| 21 | Styles & WoodAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2020 | £152m | 344 | £54m | about 1p in the pound (prescribed part) |
| 22 | Lagan Construction GroupAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2018 | £149m | 209 | £22m | prescribed part only (about £318,000 in total) |
| 23 | Shaylor GroupAdministration · Cash flow | 2019 | £142m | 244 | £19m | about 0.4p in the pound (prescribed part) |
| 24 | Lakesmere GroupAdministration | 2017 | £119m | 831 | ||
| 25 | Dawnus Construction HoldingsAdministration · Losses on contracts | 2019 | £118m | 260 | £55m | highly unlikely |
Turnover, staff and net assets come from the last accounts each company filed at Companies House before it failed, for the company in the register (group accounts where it was the parent). What was owed comes from the administrators' or liquidators' reports. Blank means not shown or not yet read.
How the list works
The list ranks the 25 biggest failures in our register by turnover in each company's last accounts before it failed. Where several companies in a group failed together, such as Carillion's subsidiaries, the group appears once, under the company with the largest turnover. Each row shows the year it failed, its staff, what it owed to creditors and, where the insolvency reports say, how much unsecured creditors could expect back and the main reason it failed. Every name links to the company's page in the register, with its timeline and the official records.
The biggest three
Carillion (£4.4bn turnover, 2018) is the biggest construction failure in our register. It's followed by Interserve (£2.9bn turnover, 2019) and ISG (£2.2bn turnover, 2024). Size was no protection: each was among the largest contractors in the UK only a year or two before it failed, and each left thousands of suppliers and subcontractors waiting for money. Our lessons-learned reports on Carillion and ISG set out what happened and the warning signs.
What they owed
The administrators' and liquidators' reports give a figure for what 23 of these 25 companies owed to unsecured creditors, the group that includes subcontractors and suppliers. In at least 20 cases they expected little or nothing to be paid back. Unsecured creditors are paid after the costs of the insolvency, staff claims and HMRC, which is why a large debt to a failed contractor is so often lost. Press the box under the table to see what the biggest ten owed between them.
Why they failed
Where the insolvency reports explain why, the main reasons given were losses on contracts (12), market downturn (3), cost inflation (2) and cash flow (2). Most failures have several causes, and almost all end in a cash crisis. Our report on why UK construction firms fail covers 138 insolvency reports.
Method and sources
Turnover, staff and net assets come from the last accounts each company filed at Companies House before it failed, for the company in the register, or its group accounts where it was the parent. What was owed and the expected return come from the administrators' or liquidators' reports, and the main reason from our reading of those reports, each backed by a quote. The register covers larger companies, so failures of small firms aren't included. See every failure by year, starting with this year's tracker.
Questions
- What is the biggest UK construction company failure?
- Carillion, with turnover of £4.4bn in its last accounts, which failed in 2018. It's followed by Interserve and ISG.
- Do subcontractors get paid when a contractor goes bust?
- Usually very little. Subcontractors and suppliers are unsecured creditors, paid only after the insolvency costs, staff claims and HMRC. In many of the biggest failures, the administrators expected nothing for unsecured creditors.
- How is the list ranked?
- By turnover in each company's last accounts filed at Companies House before it failed, with one entry per group.
- Where can I see failures from this year?
- Our failures tracker lists every larger UK construction failure this year by month, and the failures register lists all of them with their records.