The firm has confirmed operations will cease at the headquarters of May Gurney Geotechnical in Wymondham which will also mean the closure of the barriers and fencing business.

A statement from the company to the Eastern Daily Press blamed the continued slowdown in construction and civil engineering.

Consultations with staff are under way, and the company said it was seeking to avoid compulsory redundancies where possible through redeploying affected staff in other parts of the business.

The statement said: “The piling market in the UK has been very much affected by the downturn in the construction and civil engineering sectors.

“May Gurney sees little sign of market conditions changing and has had to make the difficult decision to close its piling business based in Wymondham, Norfolk.

“Unfortunately this means that 21 positions within the piling business and a further seven roles within the plant and transport workshops, also based in Wymondham, will be put at risk of redundancy and we have informed staff that we will now follow the redundancy process which will include one-to-one consultations with affected staff.”

The company added: “Similarly, the company has also decided to cease manufacturing and installing fencing, barriers and railings for the commercial, industrial and local authority markets.

“Regrettably this means 15 positions are at risk of redundancy in the Norfolk area; a consultation period has started.

“As part of the redundancy process May Gurney will be looking for as many redeployment opportunities around the business as possible for affected staff.

“The businesses will cease trading when existing contracts have been completed.”