What Shanahan Contracting Ltd does

Shanahan Contracting Ltd is a UK-based specialist environmental contractor providing groundworks, tankering, drainage maintenance and waste management services to domestic, commercial, industrial and public-sector clients across Hertfordshire and the South East of England. Founded by Gary Shanahan in 1990 as a family-run civils and waste disposal business built on word-of-mouth recommendations, the company was incorporated as Shanahan Contractors Ltd in 2011 and acquired by the Maydencroft environmental services group in February 2018, rebranding under its current name while retaining its family-run ethos under the management of Curtis Forbes.

The company's offering is organised around three service lines: groundworks and installations (drainage infrastructure, septic tanks, sewage treatment plants, soakaways); tankering and waste services (septic tank emptying, grease trap and oil interceptor cleaning, chemical and hazardous waste disposal, flood response); and drainage maintenance services (high-pressure jetting, CCTV drain surveys, drain unblocking, gully clearing, silt and sludge removal). Service delivery relies on a modern tanker fleet, tanker-mounted and portable high-pressure jetting systems, high-resolution CCTV drain survey cameras and licensed waste carrier operations. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications, is a member of the National Association of Drainage Contractors, Safecontractor, CHAS, Constructionline, UVDB Achilles and The 5% Club, and is Environment Agency registered as a fully licensed waste carrier.

Commercially, Shanahan operates a direct-to-customer model with no intermediaries, combining reactive emergency call-outs (supported by a 24/7 hotline and a two-hour emergency response commitment) with planned maintenance programmes and project-based installation work. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, with no public rate card; customers request quotes via phone, email or website contact form, followed by site assessment. Revenue is generated from a mix of enterprise contracts (including a renewed five-year Affinity Water septic tank emptying contract and multiple local authority contracts), long-duration commercial relationships (such as Garden Square Shopping Centre) and a large long tail of homeowners and rural property customers across the region.

Name

Shanahan Contracting Ltd

Legal name

Shanahan Contracting Ltd

Website

https://shanahancontracting.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shanahan Contracting Ltd is a UK-based specialist environmental contractor delivering groundworks, tankering, drainage maintenance and waste management services to homeowners, commercial clients, industrial sites and public-sector customers across Hertfordshire and the South East, operating as part of the Maydencroft group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Contracting Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Compactor, Container & Roll-off Services (Rental, Service & Logistics) (EUAIAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hauling, Spoil Management & Disposal (Muck Away) (IMAFAKAJ)

Keywords

• Drainage maintenance services
• Septic tank emptying
• Tankering waste services
• Groundworks contracting
• Drain unblocking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hitchin

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Groundworks and Drainage Installations: One-time project-based revenue from drainage infrastructure installations, septic tank installations, sewage treatment plant installations, soakaway design and installation, and general groundworks for residential, commercial and industrial sites.
2. Tankering and Waste Services: Recurring revenue from septic tank emptying, grease trap cleaning, oil interceptor maintenance, flood response and emergency tankering. Services provided to domestic, commercial and industrial clients on both scheduled and reactive basis.
3. Drainage Maintenance Services: Ongoing maintenance contracts and reactive service revenue including high-pressure jetting, CCTV drain surveys, drain unblocking, gully clearing and silt/sludge removal.
4. Chemical and Hazardous Waste Disposal: Specialist hazardous waste collection and disposal services for industrial sites, laboratories and water treatment plants, including brine collection services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shanahan Contracting Ltd is a specialist environmental contractor delivering groundworks, drainage installations, septic and sewage treatment plant services, tankering and waste removal, and drainage maintenance (jetting, CCTV surveys, unblocking, gully clearing) for domestic, commercial and industrial clients across Hertfordshire and South East England. As a licensed waste carrier and subsidiary of Maydencroft, the company combines modern tanker fleets and high-pressure jetting equipment with qualified operators to provide installation, scheduled servicing and 24/7 emergency response.

Product overview

Shanahan Contracting Ltd is a specialist environmental contractor offering a unified portfolio of groundworks, tankering, drainage maintenance, and waste management services. The company operates three interconnected service divisions: (1) Groundworks & Installations — covering drainage infrastructure, septic tank systems, sewage treatment plants, and soakaways; (2) Tankering & Waste Services — providing septic tank emptying, grease trap cleaning, oil interceptor maintenance, flood response, and chemical/hazardous waste disposal; and (3) Drainage Maintenance Services — offering high-pressure jetting, CCTV drain surveys, drain unblocking, gully clearing, and silt/sludge removal. All services utilise modern tanker fleets and specialist equipment, supported by licensed waste carrier operations and Environment Agency compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Groundworks & Drainage Installations

Quantifiable outcome

• Response within 2 hours for emergency calls
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maydencroft GroupcoreOthersShanahan Contracting Ltd is a subsidiary of Maydencroft, acquired in February 2018. The acquisition provides access to wider environmental expertise in land management, forestry and conservation. Company maintains its brand identity while benefiting from parent company resources and support. Gary Shanahan remains as consultant; company continues under new management with Curtis Forbes leading.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Suez Recycling and Recovery UK: Major UK waste management operator providing collection, recycling, hazardous waste and water services. Comparable on licensed waste carrier operations and environmental compliance credentials.
• Biffa: UK-listed integrated waste management business serving commercial, industrial and municipal customers. Competes with Shanahan for commercial waste, recycling and tankering contracts at national scale.
• FCC Environment UK: UK waste management and recycling services arm of the FCC Group. Comparable to Shanahan on commercial and municipal waste collection plus environmental services contracting.
• Veolia UK: Large UK arm of global environmental services group operating across waste collection, treatment and recycling. Overlaps with Shanahan on commercial and hazardous waste services but at a national/multinational scale across a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Metro Rod: UK drainage and plumbing services provider with national coverage of emergency unblocking, CCTV surveys and maintenance. Closely aligned with Shanahan's drainage maintenance service line.
• Barhale: UK civil engineering and infrastructure services firm with drainage, wastewater and groundworks capabilities. Overlaps with Shanahan's groundworks, drainage installation and sewerage contracting.
• Lanes Group: UK specialist in drainage, wastewater and utility services with national coverage. Directly comparable to Shanahan's core offering of drain unblocking, CCTV surveys, jetting and tankering, but at significantly larger scale.
• Drain Doctor: UK-wide drainage service franchise offering emergency unblocking, CCTV surveys and repairs. Directly comparable on reactive drainage maintenance to domestic and commercial customers.
• Dyno-Rod: Long-established UK drainage service brand owned by British Gas / Centrica. Comparable in reactive drain unblocking, plumbing and emergency response, though delivered at much larger scale.
• Adler and Allan: UK environmental services contractor focused on spill response, liquid waste and pollution prevention. Closely comparable to Shanahan's hazardous and liquid waste disposal, oil interceptor cleaning and emergency tankering work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shanahanContracting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shanahancontracting

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shanahan Contracting Ltd