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Rok informed the stock market that after suspending finance director Ashley Martin in August, following the discovery of financial irregularities in its plumbing arm, it had exonerated him and revoked his suspension. Unsurprisingly, the wronged man promptly resigned.

Rok鈥檚 first choice replacement was David Miller, Amey鈥檚 former financial director. This move had to be reversed after an analysts鈥� revolt over his credentials. The second choice was then Sean Cummins, the top numbers man at Scott Wilson.

So far, so farcical. The question is whether Garvis Snook, the chief executive, who is described by some of his peers as 鈥淭eflon Garvis鈥�, can talk his way out of this one. It won鈥檛 be easy, given the firm鈥檚 profit warnings over the past 12 months.

Martin himself was reportedly 鈥渁bsolutely furious鈥� about being made what he felt was a scapegoat and recently described his past eight weeks as 鈥渉ell鈥�.

There is no evidence of any deeper financial malaise at the contractor, but an unpredictable string of bad news bulletins will do little for investors鈥� jitters.

The share price has been up from 15p to between 18p and 19p since the news, which suggests that some in the Square Mile are prepared to give the company the benefit of the doubt.

But Snook must be media-savvy enough to know he won鈥檛 have many more chances. At the very least he can kiss goodbye to any more Sunday Times interviews with him pictured in biker鈥檚 leathers astride a Harley-Davidson.

He has always been evangelical about the Rok model of grouping local builders under one branded umbrella. One analyst likened him to TV preacher Billy Graham, a comparison at which he would no doubt chuckle, before setting out a perfectly plausible case as to why the non-believers were wrong.