Les Searle Group Limited

What Les Searle Group Limited does

Les Searle Group Limited is a UK-based, privately-held, family-owned specialist earthworks contractor headquartered at Parsonage Farm, Horsham, West Sussex. Founded in 1913 as agricultural engineers and formally established as Les Searle Earthmoving Ltd in 1976, the group is now in its third generation of family leadership and operates as one of the largest privately-owned specialist earthmoving contractors in Southern England. The business delivers bulk earthmoving, site clearance, stabilisation, and remediation services across infrastructure, highways, quarrying, coastal defence, sports facilities, reservoir construction, and Ministry of Defence projects, acting as either principal contractor or specialist subcontractor with a Tier 1/Tier 2 status among major civil engineering firms.

The group's core asset base is a modern fleet of Volvo and Caterpillar plant — including 12 Volvo 40-ton ADTs (with 25-ton additions), 8-60 tonne excavators, Cat D6/D8 dozers, and elevating motor scrapers — most equipped with integrated GPS machine control for precision grading. Supporting capabilities include 3D modelling and digital terrain analysis for earthworks planning, on-site UKAS-accredited materials testing laboratories, and a heavy haulage division capable of loads up to 110 tonnes using low loaders, beam trailers, and multi-axle trailers up to 11 axles, serving clients nationwide including central London. In-house workshop facilities with coded welders, fabrication, and specialist repair capability — upgraded through a partnership with Totalkare — provide internal fleet maintenance. Accreditations span Constructionline Gold, CHAS, SMAS, Avetta, FORS Gold, CLOCS, Crossrail, DVS, LEZ compliance, and EcoVadis Silver.

The business generates revenue across three integrated streams: project-based earthworks contracting (professional services), specialist heavy haulage transport, and plant & equipment hire with or without operators. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) embedded into major civil engineering contractors, government departments (MOD, local councils), and developers across Southern England. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific with no published tiers. Named enterprise customers include Dyer & Butler, Lovell, KAMM Civil Engineering, and Aspire (on MOD programmes including the £250 million Larkhill housing contract), alongside long-standing government clients such as Havant Council (18-year coastal defence relationship).

Name

Les Searle Group Limited

Legal name

Les Searle Plant Hire and Sales Ltd

Website

https://lessearleplant.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Les Searle Group Limited is a third-generation, family-owned specialist earthworks contractor headquartered in Horsham, West Sussex, delivering bulk earthmoving, GPS-enabled site engineering, heavy haulage (up to 110 tonnes), and plant hire to Tier 1 civil engineering contractors, the MOD, and local authorities across Southern England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Earthworks and Heavy Haulage Contracting

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass Excavation & Bulk Earthmoving (Cut/Fill, Grading) (IMAFAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Earthmoving & Excavation Equipment Rental/Leasing (TLABAFAA), Construction Debris Removal (C&D Hauling) (HSAKALAC)

Keywords

• Bulk earthworks contracting
• Heavy haulage transport
• Plant equipment hire
• Earthmoving services
• Site clearance grading

Headquarters

HQ city

Horsham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Earthworks Contracting: Bulk earthmoving services across infrastructure, highways, quarrying, coastal defence, sports facilities, reservoirs and MOD projects. Delivered as principal contractor or specialist subcontractor with services from design to delivery.
2. Heavy Haulage Transport: Specialist heavy haulage division operating modern fleet capable of transporting loads up to 110 tonnes nationwide. Includes recovery services and specialist support with comprehensive logistics management.
3. Plant & Equipment Hire: Modern fleet of Volvo and CAT equipment offered with or without operators. Includes excavators, dozers, dump trucks, rollers, and support equipment with delivery via in-house transport.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Les Searle Group Limited is a specialist earthworks contractor that delivers bulk earthmoving, site clearance, and grading services using a modern fleet of GPS-equipped dozers and articulated hauliers. It also provides heavy haulage transport for plant and bulk materials and operates a plant and equipment hire service backed by its own workshop facility. The company primarily serves civil engineering, construction, agricultural, and public-sector clients across southern England.

Product overview

Les Searle Group Limited operates as a specialist earthworks contractor offering an integrated suite of services: Earthworks/Earthmoving (bulk earthmoving, site clearance, soil stabilisation, surveying, 3D modelling), Heavy Haulage Transport (up to 110-tonne capacity), and Plant & Equipment Hire (modern fleet of Volvo/Caterpillar machinery with GPS machine control). The company also provides in-house Workshop Services for fleet maintenance. Services span infrastructure, highways, quarrying, coastal defence, sports facilities, and MOD contracts. The company celebrated 50 years of operation in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulk Earthworks and Earthmoving Specialist bulk earthworks and earthmoving service delivered with GPS-equipped Caterpillar D6 and D8 dozers and a modern fleet of articulated haulers, providing site clearance, grading, excavation, and bulk material movement for civil engineering contractors, local authorities, agricultural estates, and infrastructure clients across southern England.
• Heavy Haulage Transport Heavy haulage transport service using tractor units and low-loaders to move construction plant, machinery, and bulk materials for civil engineering contractors and private clients across southern England.
• Plant and Equipment Hire Plant and equipment hire service providing dozers, hauliers, and other construction plant to civil engineering firms, agricultural clients, and other customers on a contracted basis.
• Workshop and Plant Maintenance In-house workshop service supporting the maintenance, servicing, and repair of Les Searle Group Limited's plant fleet, contributing to high equipment availability for earthworks and haulage deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Barton Farm project: 240,000m3 moved in under 10 weeks, 2 weeks ahead of programme
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aggregate Industries (Holcim): UK-wide aggregates, asphalt, and contracting business including earthworks and infrastructure services; operates quarrying and materials handling comparable to Les Searle's quarry/coastal segments.
• Kier Group: Major UK construction and infrastructure group with significant earthworks exposure on highways, utilities, and residential frameworks. Represents the Tier 1 principal that sub-contracts earthworks packages to specialists like Les Searle.
• BAM Nuttall: Large UK civil engineering contractor with extensive earthworks capability as part of a broader infrastructure portfolio (highways, rail, water, energy). Acts as principal contractor counterpart to Les Searle's sub-contracted earthworks.
• Morgan Sindall Infrastructure: Large UK infrastructure and construction group delivering highways, rail, and major civil schemes incorporating significant bulk earthworks. Acts as principal contractor counterpart to specialist earthworks sub-contractors.

Direct peers

• Walters Group: Privately-owned UK civil engineering and earthworks contractor with similar heritage and a comparable integrated offering across earthworks, infrastructure, and plant hire. Operates as both principal contractor and sub-contractor on UK residential and infrastructure schemes.
• Jones Bros Civil Engineering: Privately-owned UK civil engineering contractor delivering earthworks, highways, energy, and coastal/infrastructure projects with self-delivered plant. Similar ECI and Tier 1/2 contractor positioning on UK public infrastructure.
• CA Blackwell Earthworks: UK-based specialist earthworks contractor operating comparable bulk earthmoving, civil engineering support, and haulage services. Closest direct peer to Les Searle in size, scope (infrastructure, housing, MOD-style schemes), and fleet-based operating model.
• Hargreaves Group (UK): UK group with significant bulk earthmoving, land remediation, and specialist contracting operations. Comparable in combining heavy plant operations, earthworks contracting, and surface material handling under one group structure.
• Clugston Construction: Northern England-based civil engineering and earthworks contractor with comparable services in bulk excavation, site clearance, and remediation on infrastructure and commercial schemes.

Regional players

• McGoff Construction Group: Privately-owned multi-disciplinary contractor focused on the North West of England; comparable in operating earthworks, plant hire, and specialist sub-contracted packages but in a different UK region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/lessearlegroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/lessearlegroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-searle-group

Compliance17 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Les Searle Group Limited