UK business John Sisk and Son delivered a 81% rise in turnover last year to £278m as a shift to civil engineering and energy projects paid off.

Pre-tax profit more than doubled to £3.4m as the firm started to reap the benefits of expanding out of traditional building work.

Net cash at the UK contracting arm, which has about 400 mainly management staff, at year end stood at £50m.

During the year, the Sisk Group successfully redeployed 133 staff to its international operations and the UK, now its largest single employment market.

In Ireland, although construction turnover fell by 28%, the business remained profitable against the backdrop of unprecedented difficult conditions for construction.

The group, which also includes five specialist healthcare businesses, beside Irish and international contracting raised pre-tax profits 9% to €9m on turnover steady at €1bn.

Liam Nagle, group chief executive, said: “Sisk Group made an important strategic decision in 2005 to both diversify and internationalise our business.

“We are now seeing the benefits of that decision, which took us into new markets and sectors and helped us to continue to trade profitably throughout the downturn.”

He added: “In 2010, almost 50% of turnover was generated outside Ireland, a reflection of how much the profile of the Group has been transformed in recent years.”