Kier Construction has topped the tables of contract awards for May and the last 12 months.

The figures have been compiled by information specialist Glenigan, which also revealed an overall drop of 37 per cent in the value of constructions contracts awarded in the last three months.

New work full to £6.2billion between March and May as coronavirus restrictions bit hard, building orders falling by 41 per cent.

April's figures fell by around two thirds compared to the previous year with May showing a slight recovery with the fall in contracts down 23 per cent.

Kier, who have a base at Quedgeley and are involved in local schemes such as the building of a GP surgery and car park at The Quay in Gloucester, topped the list with 19 new contracts with a total value of £260.1million.

Across the last year, they took on 211 new contracts with a total value of £1.87billion.

Among the latest deals for Kier is a £97million deal to expand the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.

And Kier has been awarded place on Gloucestershire County Council's Major Construction Works Framework.

Kier has been part of the framework since it began in 2003 and has been awarded 58 projects, including the refurbishment of Shire Hall in Gloucester.

Kier Regional Building Central managing director Mark Pausey said: "Our experience and knowledge of both the framework and delivering projects for public sector clients is instrumental in this appointment.

"One hundred per cent of the team working on the framework live in Gloucestershire, giving us unrivalled knowledge of the area."