The strong finish to the year was driven by a brace of major HS2 tunnel fit-out and power supply contracts, supporting water frameworks for the AMP8 spending round boosted by record water company spending plans.

The consultancy arm also secured major orders for net zero carbon infrastructure programmes in the energy sector.

This included the engineering, procurement and construction for bp joint ventures Net Zero Teesside Power and the Northern Endurance Partnership, and a second hydrogen FEED contract.

In a year-end trading update ahead of formally announcing 2024 results, Costain revealed adjusted operating profit last year would be in line with market expectations of between £41.9m and £43.3m and forecasted net cash of around £160m.