An East Midlands plant hire business has entered administration after 36 years of trading.
Leedale, based in the Derbyshire town of Alfreton, was founded in 1989 by Lee Walkup and continued to operate as a family business leasing diggers, tip trucks, grab trucks, cranes, crushers and road sweepers.
The firm’s website says it operated nationally and also delivered waste management and haulage services to main contractors, developers and public-sector clients.
However, on Wednesday (20 August) it appointed administrators from Begbies Traynor.
Leedale had 25 staff and £7m in assets in its last reported financial year, which ended in 31 October 2022. However, its net assets were just £940,000, with more than £4.9m of debt due to be repaid in its following financial year.
In May, the company was ordered by a tribunal to pay its former director Abigail Bullock £8,724 for its failure to pay notice pay.
Begbies Traynor and Walkup were contacted for comment.
In July, just 20 construction companies entered administration, according to Creditsafe – the lowest level since January 2025.
However, analysts told Construction News that an uptick in insolvencies was once again expected over the next 12 months due to issues including skills shortages, the high prices of materials, and the effects of delays to high-rise developments caused by more stringent building regulations.
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Will Ing