Revenues at construction and infrastructure giant Morgan Sindall rose by £179 million in 2018.

The six per cent rise in revenues to over £2.9 billion for the full year ending December 31, 2018, were bolstered by a 25 per cent rise in pre-tax profits, from £68.6m in 2017 to £80.6m last year.

The company – which has a base at Lillyhall and is behind several major projects in Cumbria – said it has a committed order book of £3.6bn, and a regeneration and development pipeline of £3.1bn.

In a statement on the London Stock Exchange, the company reported increases across all of its divisions – the highest rise in its urban regeneration operations – apart from its housing operations, which saw a dip of almost £2m.

Its total dividend also increased by 18 per cent to 53.0p per share

Morgan Sindall has established itself as a major player in Cumbria, delivering high-value and high-profile projects including the Albion Square office development in Whitehaven and the striking Dalton Cumbrian Facility on Westlakes Science and Technology Park in Moor Row, near Whitehaven.

Last year it handed over the £100m Central Yard Facility to BAE Systems in Barrow, which will be used to outfit and test the most advanced submarines in the Royal Navy's fleet.

A joint venture between Morgan Sindall and Arup runs the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance, a potential £1.1bn contract to provide a range of essential infrastructure asset services to the Sellafield site.

Its chief executive John Morgan praised the “high quality of our operations and our people” in helping to achieve the “excellent” financial results in 2018.

“There is significant positive momentum across all divisions, and this provides the platform for future strategic and operational progress,” he said.

"Our strong balance sheet, with net cash throughout the year and a business which continues to generate positive operating cash flow is a significant differentiator for us. This provides us with the flexibility to continue being highly selective with bidding in our construction activities while also allowing us to invest in our regeneration activities.

He added: “Looking ahead to 2019, we are confident of another good year of progress and the Group is in a strong position to deliver on its expectations.”