黑洞社区

Dozens of M&E firm are counting the cost of Carillion鈥檚 implosion with many owed an average of close to 拢250,000 each.

Businesses with less than 10 staff are owed on average 拢98,000 鈥� with one owed 拢250,000 鈥� while firms with between 10 and 49 employees owed 拢141,000 on average.

A survey carried out by the 黑洞社区 Engineering Services Association (BESA) and electrical trade body ECA said one small business was owed 拢800,000.

And those firms with between 50 and 249 staff are owed an average 拢236,000, with one firm on the hook for 拢1.4m.

The survey said 80 firms are owed 拢75m 鈥� although this figure includes the 拢45m hit Balfour Beatty is facing primarily for its work on the Aberdeen bypass where Carillion was one of three contractors carrying out work.

BESA president Tim Hopkinson said: 鈥淭hese figures give us a clearer picture of just how hard our sector is going to hit in terms of the thousands of pounds of unsecured debt that will be lost by ordinary hard working small businesses, jeopardising their future and the future of their staff.鈥�

Last week Carillion鈥檚 liquidator PwC said any work carried out for Carillion on private jobs would be treated as 鈥榰nsecured debt鈥� and placed at the back of the queue behind other creditors.