Over the challenging Covid year to September 2020, Aarsleff lifted revenue 12% to £29m generating a £120,000 profit following a slide of £500,000 into the red in 2019.

The uplift in trading came from its core piling business and developing geotechnical and specialist walls disciplines.

Kevin Hague, managing director at Aarsleff Ground Engineering, said: “Covid was a time to take stock and evaluate what do. We have a three-year plan and vision of what we want to do.”

He said “I’m optimistic, we can see a good pipeline, we can see our core market fairly buoyant.

“For the first time in my Aarsleff career, we have a pipeline that takes us to the back end of 2021 of visible work.”

He said the business was preparing to expand in a ‘structured and sensible way”.

This included raising capability for precast piles, and growing in mini piling and rotary bored market organically.

Over the year headcount edged up to 161 staff.