The UK construction sector entered 2025 already weathered by inflation, interest rate pressure and persistent supply chain turbulence. Forecasts for the wider economy suggested only modest growth, while global tensions and materials volatility continued to squeeze margins. Within that context, a steady stream of administrations and liquidations has reshaped the industry’s landscape, touching everything from modular housing and offsite specialists to long-established M&E and groundworks firms.
At Simple Liquidation, we work directly with directors in exactly these conditions. We are not intermediaries or brokers; we are an experienced team of licensed insolvency practitioners who provide a quick, clear and compliant route to closure when continuing to trade is no longer viable. Below, we set out the pattern of failures seen in 2025 and what directors can do if they recognise similar warning signs.
The backdrop: a sector under pressure
Construction’s insolvency exposure has been elevated for several years. While 16% of all UK administrations in 2022 were construction businesses, the proportion eased to 12% in 2023, still a large slice of corporate distress. By 2025, fixed-price contracts signed during calmer periods were colliding with higher input costs. Financing remained expensive, and cash flow was routinely derailed by payment delays and project pauses. For many businesses, one tight quarter rolled into the next until liabilities outpaced the ability to pay them as they fell due.
2025 roll call: who fell and why it matters
What follows is a month-by-month snapshot of notable collapses and filings, illustrating how wide the pressure now runs across specialisms, regions and company sizes.
November
SDM Fabrications
The family-owned Cambridgeshire steelwork contractor filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. With around 100 staff across design, detailing, fabrication and site installation, the case underscores how capital-intensive, specialist manufacturers are vulnerable to gaps in the work pipeline and tight cash conversion cycles.
Assent Building Compliance
Wakefield-based building compliance specialists ceased trading after an acute cash flow crisis. Through subsidiaries Oculus Building Consultancy Ltd and LB Building Control Ltd, Assent had supported the Building Safety Regulator in clearing approvals backlogs. Statutory project cancellations have been issued and the future of 71 employees is uncertain, showing that regulatory niches are not insulated from commercial realities when cash tightens suddenly.
October
Merit (Merit Holdings Ltd / Merit Health Ltd)
Offsite specialist Merit went into administration following a winding-up petition. Despite framework wins and a strong position in healthcare and life-sciences projects, delays triggered further cash pressure, an example of how even healthy order books can become illiquid if milestones slip.
September
Tucker Mechanical & Electrical Building Services
Hull-based M&E contractor with a £25m turnover entered administration, with staff and partners confirming the news publicly. Established in 1973 and employing around 66 people, Tucker’s collapse highlights the thin margins and working capital burden typical in M&E delivery.
Boutique Modern
The modular housebuilder filed for administration shortly after work stopped on council schemes in Lancing, prompting client contingency planning. A B-Corp-certified manufacturer with around 68 staff and 241 delivered homes, its fall demonstrates the fragility of modular suppliers when one or two projects stall.
Kingston Modular Systems
Hull-based modular business entered administration with 74 job losses after a rescue bid fell through. Ten years old and active across healthcare, education and leisure, Kingston’s story mirrors sector-wide stress in volumetric manufacturing.
HE Simm & Son
The long-standing M&E specialist filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. With 2023 turnover at £118m and a pre-tax loss of £8.9m, the case shows how even scale does not immunise against a run of fixed-price losses and delayed receipts.
August
Ardmore Construction Ltd (ACL)
The Ardmore Group placed ACL into administration, citing the cost and breadth of fire-remediation exposure under an evolving Building Safety Act landscape. Disputes with major housebuilders and extended limitation periods significantly raised legacy liabilities, an instructive example of legislative change altering risk profiles long after practical completion.
Leedale
East Midlands plant-hire business appointed administrators after 36 years of trading. Plant, haulage and civils support operators often sit at the sharp end of payment chains; when main contractor stress rises, the ripple hits quickly.
ANTS Group
Bedfordshire civil engineering contractor appointed administrators with reported multi-million creditor exposure. Even with a strong project pedigree in hospitals and commercial developments, recent losses and leverage left little buffer.
Cannock Building Services (CBS)
Staffordshire M&E contractor entered voluntary liquidation leaving around £4m of debt. Over £640k related to unpaid invoices across more than 90 largely local suppliers, a stark reminder of supply chain contagion when one node fails.
June
English Architectural Glazing
Former Clarison Group business collapsed owing over £24m, following wider failures in the group’s façade and cladding portfolio. Administrators have set out limited prospects for unsecured creditors, illustrating the capital demands and defect risk inherent in façade packages.
Building for Humanity
Not-for-profit developer behind a proposed 3D-printed housing scheme moved to liquidation, with more than £1.4m owed. Innovative delivery models still rely on conventional cash controls, and when funding tightens, projects stall quickly.
Dalkia (regional)
Announced redundancy consultations affecting around 34 roles in the southern region. While not an insolvency, it is emblematic of cost-cutting waves that often precede broader restructurings if trading does not rebound.
LF Solutions Ltd
Civil engineering contractor entered administration shortly after reporting £20.3m turnover to February 2024, showing how top-line alone can mask deteriorating margins or slow collections.
Elements Europe
Telford-based offsite manufacturer entered administration with a £42m turnover, pausing live contracts while rescue options were explored. Another modular casualty amid price inflation and project delays.
May
Jans Offsite Solutions
Northern Ireland-based offsite firm appointed administrators after successive annual losses, despite investment in capacity. As with others, factory utilisation and milestone timing proved decisive.
Corbyn
London-focused main contractor appointed administrators following months of attempted solvent solutions. Administrators cited sustained market challenges and increasingly complex regulatory requirements. All staff were made redundant.
April
Breyer Group
Filed notice of appointment of an administrator after winding-up petitions and growing creditor pressure. An asset purchase agreement with Welsh maintenance group Cardo preserved part of the roofing business and around 100 jobs, showing that targeted sales can still protect value despite a group-level failure.
March
Colwin Construction
Essex groundworks contractor appointed administrators with about £3.7m owed to 162 creditors. A connected-party sale into a newly formed vehicle preserved jobs and continuity, a common, lawful route when managed transparently by insolvency professionals.
Rodells
Historic scaffolding contractor established in 1898 filed to appoint administrators, and all 37 employees were made redundant. Administrators highlighted reduced pipeline and rising material costs. Directors had already injected personal funds and delayed pay, signs many directors will recognise.
Marbank Construction
Industrial shed specialist entered administration owing nearly £10m to supply chain creditors following heavy losses and a run of adverse adjudications. Even after a profitable 2024, a single bad year can overwhelm reserves in a fixed-price, claims-heavy niche.
February
South East Groundworks
Family-run business passed a winding-up resolution and appointed a liquidator, underscoring how regional subcontractors can be undone by a handful of delayed payments.
TNA Electrical
Cannock-based MEP contractor entered administration with around £6.9m owed to unsecured creditors. Fixed-price contracts and debts were cited as drivers.
Acheson Construction
South and South-West main contractor appointed administrators with £8.5m owed to 564 unsecured creditors. Asset sales included plant and telehandlers to support realisations.
J S Wright / Wright Maintenance
Historic M&E specialist placed into administration with around £19m owed. A high-profile case of how project delays, slim liquidity and legacy obligations can converge.
January
Kaybridge Construction
Long-standing groundworks firm moved into liquidation processes after reporting 2023 losses.
Sheen Lane
Residential developer signalled intent to file for administration following a significant 2023 loss driven by write-downs.
Connect Modular (and Hope South West Ltd)
Scottish volumetric housebuilder ceased trading with redundancies after losses on historic contracts and rising costs. Administrators are marketing assets.
Ashville Aggregates and Concrete
Filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, leaving around 50 jobs at risk.
Clarkebond
Engineering consultancy entered liquidation shortly after acquisition and rapid workforce expansion, a cautionary tale about integration risk and cultural misalignment.
Lessons for directors: spotting trouble early
Across these cases, several themes recur.
- Fixed-price exposure versus rising inputs
Contracts signed on tight margins were swamped by materials inflation and wage pressure. Where variation mechanisms were absent or weak, losses crystallised quickly. - Cash flow discipline beats headline turnover
Several firms showed healthy revenues shortly before collapse. What mattered was cash conversion, debtor aging and the scale of certified works stuck behind disputes. - Claims, adjudications and legacy liabilities
A string of adverse adjudications or legacy defect claims, particularly around cladding and fire safety, can erase a year’s profit in weeks. - Factory utilisation in modular and offsite
When even one anchor project pauses, utilisation drops below breakeven and fixed overheads start to dominate. - People decisions under pressure
Late redundancies, withheld wages or director loans are red flags that it is time to take professional advice immediately.
How Simple Liquidation supports you
If any of the above looks uncomfortably familiar, acting early protects you, your employees and creditors.
At Simple Liquidation, our insolvency practitioners Jamie Playford FABRP MIPA (Director) and Alex Dunton MABRP are licensed to act in the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). We are authorised by the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) and members of R3. With over 30 years’ experience across hundreds of solvent and insolvent closures, we give directors:
- A clear route map from initial triage to Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) where appropriate, or alternative options if a rescue or sale is viable.
- Transparent, cost-sensitive fees. We know cost can delay decisions, so we keep pricing clear and proportionate.
- End-to-end handling. We deal with creditors, statutory notices, asset realisations and employee claims, reducing stress and risk.
Whether you run a modular factory, an M&E contractor, a regional groundworks firm or a consultancy, we understand the sector-specific pressures and how to close a company correctly, quickly and compliantly.
Final word
2025 has shown again that construction businesses can be solid on paper yet brittle in practice when costs spike, payments slow and disputes multiply. The roll call above is sobering, but it also offers clear lessons. If your company is grappling with similar headwinds, do not wait for the next missed payroll or statutory demand. A short, no-obligation conversation with our team can clarify your options and help you act responsibly.
Contact Simple Liquidation today for confidential, professional advice on the best course of action for you and your business.