SDC employs around 300 people and has written to all employees outlining the redundancy plans

Managing director Francis Shiner told Bedford Today: “As a company I feel that we have a very personal relationship with all of our staff, so the word sad doesn’t even cover how we feel at the moment.

“It is very distressing for me personally that we have to make these cutbacks, but we just don’t have enough work to go around at the moment.

“We have been very fortunate as a company because we had a massive project in Northampton that brought us in thousands of pounds, but that has finished now, and we have struggled to bring in more work.”

Directors of the company have held meetings with all members of staff to invite people to come forward for voluntary redundancy next week.

Shiner added: “The company is not under any threat of closing, but we are doing this so we can be sure of our future.”

He said SDC plans to make no more job cuts.

The firm was established in 1972 and has a turnover of £125m undertaking general construction contracts valued from £5,000 to £80m.