While revenue at the UK business dipped to around £383m, margins recovered strongly to 2.2% from 0.7% in 2021.

Paul Brown, who stepped up to become chief executive officer at the start of 2022, said despite a 1.9% drop in revenue the firm delivered a strong level of underlying profit having successfully completed a number of major projects.

This saw pre-tax profit jump to £8.4m last year from £2.8m previously.

He said Sisk now enjoyed a strong pipeline of new projects for next year with both new and existing clients.

The business has recently picked up a raft of new building and civil engineering work.

This includes a £227m flats project for developer Quitain at Wembley Park and a £200m water resort near Bicester in Oxfordshire.

Sisk is making strong inroads on the civils side, starting work on the £100m enabling works package for the York Central scheme.

It is also in line for developer Peel’s Liverpool Waters Central Docks enabling package, including a new central park and last month secured the £69m job to reroute the landslip-prone A59 moorland road at Kex Gill in Yorkshire.

Last year headcount rose by nearly 5% to 622 staff.