A near £260m haul of work last month also helped the firm to extend its lead in the annualised table where Kier held onto pole position, followed by Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty in third place.

According to estimates by information specialist Glenigan,  Kier has now bagged around £3.13bn of work in the last 12 months while its nearest rival has secured just under £2bn.

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Among the other big orders taken during the month, Tolent secured the main contractor role on the £120m Milburngate development in Durham for MGH Card.

And in the swelling offsite sector, Ilke secured a £100m deal to supply 750 modular homes for Places for People. And Urban Splash signed off a £75m deal to supply 440 modular homes for Homes England at Northstowe.