Earlier this week up to 40 staff were sent home after being told that the Glasgow contractor and its sister business, Hudson Vision, was being wound up.

The founding family sold the £40m turnover contractor to David Noar and Mark Fallon, who had both been in senior roles at North West contractor Mayfield Construction, just over two years ago for a reported £1m.

The civil engineering contractor was established just after the first World War and in recent times has counted Skanska, Sir Robert McAlpine and Bellway among its clients.

Ernst & Young is expected to take on the job of liquidator of McKean & Company and Hudson Vision, which specialised in CCTV and electrical maintenance work.

The accountants will look to novate contracts that McKean had been working on before it ran into cash flow problems.

The McKean Group and subsidiary civils contractor Mayfield Construction are unaffected by the winding up plans.