Top News

A major groundworks and civil engineering contractor based in Hampshire has officially filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator. This is a major event for the southern UK construction sector, as the company employs hundreds of operatives and has invested over £10 million in plant machinery. Filing a notice provides a 10-day moratorium, protecting the company from creditors while they attempt to restructure or find a buyer.

Latest accounts for the year to March 31, 2025, show a turnover of £23.3 million, generating a pre-tax loss of £616,000 compared to an £866,000 profit in 2024. In its accounts, the contractor's directors attributed the downturn to a combination of factors affecting the wider construction industry.

• UK kitchens firm closes down after plunging into administration - in business since 1947

• Petrol and diesel drivers urged to fill up before 10am on Saturday

Rising interest rates have slowed the pace of new housing developments, leading to delays in project starts. At the same time, ongoing contracts have been squeezed by increasing material and operational costs, further eroding margins.

Mackoy undertakes all aspects of essential groundworks to service large-scale building projects across the south of the country, including the foundations for new homes, roads and sewer systems.

Mackoy Groundworks is based in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, and provides groundworks infrastructure and civil engineering services to the UK's leading house builders in the South of England.

The family-owned business has been operating since 2011 and was founded by Michael Maycock just outside of Southampton. The company works with more than 300 operatives across the South, partnering with the UK's leading property builders to deliver new housing schemes in Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Sussex.

According to performance data published on the company's website, its annual operations included the excavation of 730,000 tonnes of earth, the laying of 85,000 meters of pipe, equivalent to 53 miles of infrastructure, and the creation of 127,000 meters of foundations for new homes.