CONSTRUCTION heavyweight Graham Group has increased turnover by around 40 per cent in the latest year in Scotland, where the public sector is providing valuable work for the firm.

Northern Ireland- based Graham recorded £150 million turnover in Scotland in the year to March 31, up from £110m in the prior period.

The group is active on a range of significant public sector projects in Scotland.

These include the biggest project Graham has tackled in the country, the £120m Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre in Aberdeen for NHS Grampian.

It is also working on the £60m Phase One of Dumfries Learning Town and the £26m Dalbeattie Learning Campus in south west Scotland.

The awards underline the value of the public sector work to construction firms in Scotland.

Other builders based outside the country, including Galliford Try, have noted that activity has been stronger in recent years in Scotland than south of the Border, where public spending cuts have had greater impact.

Graham group executive chairman Michael Graham highlighted the importance of Scotland to the business yesterday when the group celebrated 15 years of doing business in the country.

The group has won business worth £2 billion in total in Scotland in that period.

Mr Graham said: “We started our Scottish business with three people, now we employ over 350 staff, almost all of whom have been recruited in Scotland.”

Graham runs its Scottish operations from Glasgow.

The group, which is active across the UK, had total turnover of £508m in the year to March 31 2016.