190 Lothian jobs lost as engineering company goes bust

Administrators have confirmed that the Dunne Group, which is headquartered in the West Lothian town, has ceased trading with immediate effect, resulting in the loss of 524 of the 540 jobs across the company UK-wide.

Founded in 2001, the Dunne Group operated from sites in Glasgow, Leeds, Dublin and London, providing an extensive range of civil engineering, building, construction, infrastructure, contracting and plant hire services.

The business grew rapidly in recent years, with major contract wins including three high-profile projects in London. Turnover last year was £74 million and forecast this year at £96m.

Tom MacLennan, partner at FRP Advisory and joint administrator, said: “This is a sad loss for the construction and building industry. The business faced substantial trading losses on some contracts, leading to severe cash flow pressures.

“Additionally, rapid expansion led to pressure on working capital and a requirement for significant additional funding that was not available.”