The ground engineering specialist saw turnover fall 4% to £134m for the year to April 2025, after key contract starts were pushed back due to slow BSA approvals.

Several major jobs expected to land in the final financial quarter will now begin in FY26.

In a year-end trading statement, chief executive Mark Cutler said that the group had experienced subdued activity levels and widespread delays to contract start dates, in particular due to significant delays to Building Safety Act approvals.

“The last 12 months have been challenging for the business, and although it is disappointing that a recovery in activity levels didn’t materialise as expected, against a volatile backdrop the performance as a whole demonstrates the progress made over recent years,” he said.

Despite the disruption, Van Elle expects to post a solid £3.5m pre-tax profit thanks to stable margins and tight cost control.

Net cash stood at £1m after investments in new kit and bolt-on deals including Rock & Alluvium and Albion Drilling. The firm still has £6.5m of headroom on its £8m facility.

The order book has grown to £41.5m, excluding a fresh £10m win for its General Piling division.