Multi-million UK contracts for Tuam's Big Dig firm

By TOM GILMORE THE Athenry-based firm of Coffey's, which carried out Tuam's Big Dig project, has landed a number of multi-million pound contracts in the UK as well ascontracts for construction work on wastewater treatment projects in other areas of Ireland.[private] In the UK the firm have started work on a contract worth £2.3 million sterling for the construction of a water treatment plant at Coatebridge near Chester for United Utilities. In Scotland Coffey's are to construct a replacement bridge on the M9 near Sterling worth £1.6 million and the firm will also be doing construction work on a two kilometres section of new tram network in Edinburgh. The Athenry company has also secured a deal for a five-year borehole rehabilitation contract with Wessex Water near Bristol and Paddy ­Coffey of the company says they are pleased to have secured work in three other UK counties, Cumbria, Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire this year. 'Our experience on various projects in Ireland helped us get the contracts in the UK and we are delighted to have got this work as well as a number of other jobs here in this country,' says Paddy Coffey. A subsidiary of the company, Coffey Water Ltd, also signed a €2.44 million contract last week with Limerick County Council for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Kilmallock. Work on this contract is expected to commence shortly and is to be completed by August 2013. Apart from the design and construction of this plant Coffeys have also signed a contract for its operation over the next 20 years. The firm have also got the go-ahead to start work on a €4.1 million wastewater treatment plant at Oldcastle, Co Meath and Paddy Coffey says that after the summer holidays the firm will start work on a reservoir for Kerry Co Council at Scart which is worth €2.35 million.[/private]