T5: 300 electricians and plumbers still on the job

A team of 300 plumbers and electricians is still working on Heathrow's T5.

CJ has learned that the army of M&E workers is still finishing off the building more than two months after its official opening.

Site sources said the workers expect to be on the job until September. The revelation follows news that airport operator BAA spent £24m in last-minute costs preparing T5 for its March opening.

The one-off hit contributed to a £62m loss during the first three months of this year.

Costs will keep clicking-up because the 300 remaining workers are still being paid under the T5 agreement which guarantees industry-leading wages.

One project source said: "The lads still left there are earning around £20-an-hour so that's £800 a week. It's costing BAA at least quarter of a million a week to keep them there.

"It's a mix of plumbers, sparks and mechanical fitters down there still doing finishing-up work across the whole complex.

"On the original schedule, Crown House was supposed to be off the job and done by 2007 but it's still got a team of 27 here now working on the car parks."

A BAA spokesperson said: "The scope of M&E work on Terminal 5 was extended well in advance of T5's opening, as BAA agreed to undertake extra work on behalf of third parties. In addition, some changes have been made to the terminal following proving trials and the start of operations. This is only to be expected on a building of the scale and complexity of T5."