Pair of regional contractors go bust
Lancashire-based Clement Dickens and Son and Altrincham firm Oxley Building Contractors have appointed administrators and liquidators respectively.
A London Gazette filing states that Preston-based Leonard Curtis has been appointed as administrator over Clement Dickens.
The contractor, which is based at Redmarsh Industrial Estate in Thornton, was founded in 1947, according to the company’s website.
Ross Dickens, the firm’s managing director, became the fourth generation of his family to run the company after taking over from his father Martin in 2010.
Oxley, whose sole director is listed on Companies House as Mark Oxley, has appointed Kay Johnson Gee as liquidator.
A statement of affairs filed on Companies House states that the firm went under with debts totalling £1.6m.
Of this, £682,000 is owed to trade creditors, while the company went bust with £400,000 of unsecured loans.
Oxley’s projects include a 12-home development on New Street in Altrincham for Novo Property Group.
Maya Property and Southway Housing Trust are listed on Oxley’s website as clients.
The news of Oxley and Clement Dickens’ collapses comes as the construction industry continues to battle volatility in relation to the price of materials and the availability of labour.
Clement Dickens must have gone quickly downhill since the declaration in accounts signed 2nd December 2022 for it and the holding company of “adequate resources……at least twelve months”.
By Michael Turner