Hanson spends £415m on acqusitions

Hanson has made two acquisitions in the UK and US worth £415m in total.

The group is spending £245m on UK-based Civil & Marine (C&M), a producer of ground granulated blast furnace slag and £170m on Material Service, a US aggregates producer.

On the acquisition of C&M Alan Murray, chief executive of Hanson, said: "C&M is a great business in its own right, as well as being a good fit with Hanson. In particular, this acquisition strengthens our UK business and adds to our growth opportunities in the US."