Heron Tower steel fabricator in administration

Acquisitive steelwork contractors are circling collapsed Yorkshire steel fabricator Allerton, after four companies in the group went into administration on Thursday.

Allerton Group, Allerton Industries, Allerton Engineering and Allerton Bridges were all put into the protection of administration due to "cash flow pressures", according to administrator Ernst & Young.

The 50-year-old firm is best known for its work on the Skanska's £242m Heron Tower project in London.

It won a deal last year to manufacture 3,000t of the heavier, complex basement-support steelwork elements for Severfield Rowen.

A spokesman for the Heron Tower's developer, Heron International, said that the project would be unaffected by Allerton's administration, as its work on the project is fully complete and it has supplied all the steel it was contracted to supply.

Allerton has also worked on the recent redevelopment of Landsdowne Road Stadium in Dublin.

Joint administrator Hunter Kelly of Ernst & Young indicated that he would attempt to sell Allerton Bridges and Allerton engineering as a going concern.

"The underlying business of Allerton Engineering and Allerton Bridges is profitable with a strong order book and a highly skilled workforce. We have already received expressions of interest from potential purchasers and are hopeful of achieving a successful outcome," he said.

In the meantime, the businesses, which employ 100 people are continuing to trade as their facilities in Northallerton.