The Erith Group
We are the Erith Group
Quality as standard
Our aspiration to be a leader within our industry is a direct result of our consideration towards quality and service
We have the ability and expertise to provide a fully integrated solution or a specific single service for our clients.
The provision of a high quality service to all of our clients is a central feature of our commitment to long term client partnerships, using a multi-disciplined and skills based approach. The service is tailored to the specific issues and problems of each client.
Supported by a network of specialist consulting engineers, environmentalists and our own collective experience, our philosophy is simple: ‘provide a qualitative economic and cost effective service, based on a clear understanding of our client’s needs and our own ability to deliver quality, safely, on budget, on programme, with minimal impact.
COMPANY HISTORY
Our ethos remains one of quality of service and client satisfaction since the formation of Erith Haulage in 1967.
1967-1968
Erith Haulage is formed
As Tom Darsey saw the demise of the commercial use of the river as a means of employment for Thames Lighterman he founded Erith Haulage.
First offices and employees
The business operated from Tom Darsey’s home in Swanton Road, Erith, by Tom and Mrs Darsey.
Lease of first business premises
Took lease of Pheasant Garage, Belmont Road, Erith.
First contracts
First contracts signed for the haulage of aggregates.
1969-
Erith Haulage Co formed and new services added
Formed and registered at Companies House, and aggregate supply service commenced.
Premises acquisition
Acquired another haulage premises at Europa Trading Estate, Fraser Road, Erith.
Erith Demolition & Construction Co. formed.
Demolition arm of the company is formed, specialising in: - Low & high rise structures - Industrial demolition and dismantling - Bridge demolition - Marine Structures - Contaminated structures -...
1975-1980
Period of growth
From 1973 – 1979 our contract haulage business grew, and the company began to purchase its own fleet of trucks. The expansion of contracts necessitated new premises.
Move to new premises
We move to new premises at Europa Trading Estate, Fraser Road, Erith and later acquired first freehold site, a one-acre site in Manor Road, Erith. This became known as “Erith...
Landfill site operations
Landfill operations commence at Fishers Way, Belvedere.
Asbestos removal work commences
Asbestos contracts range from minor works in residential dwellings to major works in occupied hospitals, offices and large industrial complexes.
1981-1985
New Office & Land Acquisition
We acquire Riverside House in Maypole Crescent, Darenth Industrial Park (formerly known as Thameside Industrial Estate), and it becomes our new company HQ.
We are formally awarded our Asbestos Removal License.
We are formally awarded our Asbestos Removal License.
New acquisition and diversification
We purchase a 2.5-acre site at 185 Manor Road, Erith, from G J Baldwin and take over its waste business, turning the former council depot into a licensed waste transfer...
Recycling operation
Site-specific recycling commences.
Company name change
Erith Demolition and Construction Co. Ltd becomes Erith Contractors Ltd.
1987-1990
Remediation operations commence
Our first land reclamation contract is undertaken for Circlehart Ltd at Purfleet, Essex.
Asbestos removal
Asbestos stripping under negative air pressure conditions takes place at Free Trade Wharf, E1 for Regalian Urban Renewal Ltd.
Erith Holdings Ltd formed
Erith Holdings Limited, Erith Haulage Co. Ltd and Erith Contractors Limited become known as The Erith Group.
First specialist remediation contract
Our first “highly specialised” remediation contract is undertaken at Uphall Road, Edmonton.
Waste handling and recycling
Thamesmead.
Employees
90
1993-1996
Excavation and earthworks
GLC – pro-load earthworks for road constructions at Thamesmead.
1995 Considerate Contractor Award
We are awarded the “Considerate Contractor of the Year Award” by London Docklands Development Corporation for the demolition, site clearance, and road reconstruction works as part of the Prestons Road...
Specialist demolition
We take on the dismantling of the West Venture oil rig.
Specialist demolition
King Cross bridge demolition takes place.
1997-2000
First specialist remediation contract
British Gas Properties award us “Project Atlantis” term contracts for the period 1996 – 2000.
Sale of waste business
Management buy-out of the waste business at Manor Road by Messrs Kenny and Wilkinson – board directors at that time.
First joint venture
Our first joint venture to operate a landfill site at Dagenham, Essex, takes place.
Asbestos removal
Asbestos removal at British American Tobacco’s cigarette manufacturing factory in Saratova, Russia, gets underway.
Demolition CMS Mills
London Docklands Development Corporation – demolition and site clearance works within the Royal Docks.
Second joint venture
Our second joint venture to develop a brownfield site at Abbeywood, South East London, begins.
Employees
172
2005-
Further land acquisition
11A Maypole Crescent, a site directly opposite Riverside House, is acquired to site sales and administrative staff along with our small in-house asbestos waste transfer station.
Awards
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Silver Award for Occupational Health Hbg – Baker Street Project – November 2006 National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) Quality Assurance Award...
Employees
195
2007-
40 years of service
We reach the milestone of 40 years of operation and donate £40,000 to various charities/good causes.
Sunday Times Awards
We are placed 33rd in the Sunday Times Best 100 Small Companies Competition. We are also voted 2nd in the top 100 Greenest Companies and Awarded “Best Companies” – “2...
RoSPA Award
We receive the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Gold Award for Occupational Health.
Relocation
Our head office is relocated to Erith House, Queen Street after acquiring the freehold for the former jobcentre and commencing renovation and refurbishing works.
Olympic Park appointment
We are appointed onto the Olympic Park Framework for asbestos, demolition, earthworks, remediation and ground water remediation.
2008-
Circle Housing
Asbestos Removal Framework Agreement is signed for Circle Housing’s property portfolio.
New tagline and ethos
We adopt a new tagline and ethos of ‘Safety 24:7.’
Westminster College
We carry out the demolition of the eight-storey college in Paddington.
Awards
We are one of the winners at the Specialists Awards 2008.
Olympic Park
We commence demolition works inside the Olympic Park and become part of the most extensive demolition scheme since the blitz of World War II.
2009-
Pfizer
Bulk asbestos removal and demolition of the former Pfizer manufacturing facility takes place.
Osborn Street
Demolition of a former electricity substation in the centre of London gets underway. Major earthworks and piling are also included in the scope.
Awards
Considerate Contractors Gold Award (Blackfriars Station Development) and Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA) Gold Training Award.
Greenwich Wharf
Bulk asbestos removal and demolition of the former Pfizer Manufacturing Facility
2010-
Bradwell Power Station
Demolition and asbestos removal of the former nuclear power station gets underway.
Gloucester
Remediation of a former National Grid gas holder site spanning 12 hectares takes place.
Employees
200
Lafarge Cement Works
We commence works at the Lafarge Cement Works in Northfleet, Kent. This was the largest demolition sequence in Europe at the time. A £9million recycling benefit was achieved.
Swanton
Our in-house design subsidiary, Swanton Consulting Ltd, is formed.
Awards
• Demolition Company of the Year • Confined Space/Urban Demolition • Industrial Demolition
Expansion
We acquire the former Costain’s 6.5-acre plant yard on Manor Road.
2011-
Olympic Park Development
We undertook the civil engineering and hard landscaping package at the East London Temporary Supporting Venues North Park.
Magnox Framework
We were appointed to a 10 year Magnox Framework for demolition, deplant and asbestos removal.
Employees
250
Mardyke Farm
Planning granted at Mardyke Farm – a 32-hectare site utilised as a restoration facility.
Awards
• National Grid Land Regeneration: Best SHE Award • Collaborative Demolition • Urban/Confined Space Demolition • Demolition Training Award • Considerate Contractor Scheme: Gold Award
Marcol House
We completed demolition, asbestos removal and façade retention at Regent Street, London.
2012-
Trawsfynydd Power Station
We are awarded the bulk asbestos removal package to the obtuse bends at the former Trawsfynydd Power Station.
Horseferry Road
Substructure works, including basement construction and significant temporary works, begin following the successful superstructure demolition.
No lost time
We reach 1,000,000 working hours without a single reportable lost-time incident
Crossrail
We are awarded the Crossrail C300 Term Contract for tunnel arisings disposal.
Kingsgate House
The top-down demolition of Kingsgate House, a 10 Storey, reinforced concrete building in Victoria Street, London, takes place.
Awards
• Industrial Demolition Award • Contractor of the Year • Collaboration Award • Construction News Specialist:
Charity
We support The Prince’s Trust.
2013-
Awards
We are named Demolition Specialist of the Year at the Construction News Specialist Awards.
Ebbsfleet Valley
Enabling and infrastructure work begins at the Ebbsfleet Valley development.
Oriana
Phase 2 of a complex demolition and façade retention project gets underway at Oriana, Oxford Street.
2014-
Safe Cycling Campaign
Our haulage arm collaborates with the City of London to promote safer cycling.
Employees
315
Leadership Index
We are named Demolition Specialist of the Year at the Construction News Specialist Awards.
Plant
We invest in modern plant and expand the group’s haulage fleet.
Membership of Business in the Community
Shaping a new contract between business and society.
2015-
Aylesbury Estate
We are awarded the demolition of multiple multi-storey residential blocks in Southwark.
Our in-house training department is formed.
We commenced works on phase one of the de-plant and structural demolition of the former pharmaceutical buildings.
FORS Gold
We achieve gold with FORS (Freight Operator Recognition Scheme)
Ebbsfleet Green
Following demolition and remediation of the former substation, earthworks and infrastructure works commenced on the site of 950 future homes.
Awards
- World Demolition Award – Urban Demolition Award – Project Oriana - World Demolition Award – Contract of the Year (under $1m) – Gas Holder Demolition & Dismantling - National...
2016-
CN100
We feature in the 2016 CN100 list ranking the UK’s largest contractors by total revenue.
Cruiserath phase two
We secure phase two of demolition works at the Cruiserath site in Dublin.
GOSH
Following demolition, we are employed to undertake the basement construction works at Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Guilford Street site.
Awards
- NFDC – Demolition Manager of the Year - National Grid – Most Sustainable Project
Innovation
A high-visibility Mercedes Econic is added to our haulage fleet as part of an ongoing commitment to the transport industry and its safety.
Employees
650
2017-
RWE Markinch, Scotland
We are awarded the asbestos removal, decontamination and demolition of the former Markinch Paper Plant and associated buildings.
50 Years of Service
We celebrate reaching 50 years of operation.
Accreditation
Erith Haulage achieves Road Traffic Safety accreditation, BSI ISO 39001:2012 recognising the commitment to reducing the incidence and risk of serious injury relating to road traffic accidents.
Growth
We are named the third-largest demolition contractor globally, following a 27.5% increase in turnover.
Awards
-World Demolition Awards – Industrial Demolition Award -World Demolition Awards – Safety and Training Award -World Demolition Awards – Contract of the Year (over $1m) – Marble Arch Place -World...
Safety Campaign
The Health and Safety Wheel is launched as a branch of our Safety 24:7 behavioural safety ethos focusing on seven key provisions – health and wellbeing, continual improvement, collaboration, excellence,...
2018-
Innovation
4D modelling is introduced to assist with both site team’s and client’s understanding of progress
Innovation
ErithTV is rolled out across sites and offices, communicating live news, project updates and SHEQ alerts
Project Awards
Awarded Whiteleys shopping centre demolition and the flagship One Sherwood Street development
Explosive Demolition
The explosive demolition of Barrington Chimney is successfully completed and features on Discovery Channel’s “Scrap Kings”
Fundraising
£64,000 is raised for Niemann-Pick UK following “Nancy’s Night Out”
Awards
Safety and Training Award – World Demolition Awards Urban Demolition – World Demolition Awards Demolition Specialist of the Year – Construction News Specialist Awards Best SHE Leadership - National Grid...
2019-
Awards
Civils Demolition Award – World Demolition Awards Urban Demolition Award – World Demolition Awards World Demolition Award – World Demolition Awards Best Infrastructure Project – Brownfield Briefing Awards Contract of...
Health and Wellbeing
Campaign launched to raise awareness of testicular cancer with all sites visited by a registered nurse
Accreditation
One of the first companies in the industry to achieve ISO 45001 replacing OHSAS 18001
Hinkley Power Station
Controlled demolition of a 150-tonne overhead gantry crane as part of the Magnox Demolition, De-plant and Asbestos Framework
Milestone
The 2 billionth litre of water was removed from the Western Cross Lake as part of the Eastern Quarry development at Ebbsfleet
2020-
Paddington Square
Following the successful demolition of Royal Mail buildings, bulk excavation begins on the 4-storey basement.
Awards
Demolition Specialist of the Year - Construction News Specialist Awards. Business Commitment to Education and Skills – Bexley Business Awards Civils Demolition Award – World Demolition Awards Most Considerate Project...
Accreditation
Our Information Security Management System achieves BSI accreditation to ISO/IEC:27001/2013, recognising the importance of data security and ownership.
Training
Operations Director, Stuart Accleton, becomes one of the first nineteen people in the world to complete the IDE Demolition Management and Engineering degree
2021-
Awards
Health and Safety Award - British Demolition Awards Asbestos Removal Contractor of the Year - British Demolition Awards Third consecutive RoSPA Gold Award Most Considerate Site - Considerate Constructors Awards
Commitment to climate action
We became a signatory to the “UK Contractors Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency” Commitment and joined ConstrutionWastePortal.com in order to maximise resource efficiency.
Utilities
Our place is cemented in the UK utilities sector, being awarded WWU and NGN frameworks and extending framework agreements for National Grid and Grain LNG
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Our primary business is to service the construction and related industries
Company structure and corporate governance
We are a family-run, employee-owned trust founded in 1967 by Tom Darsey. The company’s ethos then, as it is today, is one of quality of service and client satisfaction. Since its formation the company has grown to form a Group comprising:
Erith Holdings Limited
Erith Contractors Limited
Erith Haulage Limited
Erith Plant Services Limited
Erith Business Solutions Limited
Erith Training Limited
Swanton Consulting Limited
Our primary business is to service the construction and related industries through our enabling services comprising demolition, asbestos removal, remediation, earthworks, infrastructure, waste management and haulage divisions. Today, we remain a privately owned family business, managed by Steve and Tony Darsey, supported by five non-family directors. Our governance structure ensures that we operate safely, considerately, responsibly and ethically, with qualified and experienced leadership across all areas of the company.
Our UK tax strategy
Erith Holdings Limited UK Tax Strategy 2020
Download a copy of our UK Tax Strategy for the year ended September 2020
Our people
Family run, employee owned. Erith is it’s people, fuelled by their passion for long-term client partnerships.
Steve Darsey
Group chair
Steven May
Group Chief Executive Officer
Tony Darsey
Managing Director
Steve Head
Director
Jamie McGahan
Group Commercial Director
Steve Martin
Managing Director (Haulage)
Victoria Stokes
Finance Director
David Moylan
Director
Vision and strategy
Providing a qualitative economic and cost-effective service, based on an understanding of the needs of our clients
We have the ability and expertise to provide a fully integrated, or a specific single-service for clients.
We are committed to long term client partnerships, a central feature of which is the provision of a high quality service for all our clients using a multi-disciplined, skill based approach. The service is tailored to the specific issues and problems of each client.
Supported by a network of specialist consulting engineers, environmentalists and our own collective experience, our philosophy is simple: to provide a qualitative economic and cost-effective service, based on an understanding of our client’s needs and our own ability to deliver quality, safely and on time with minimal impact.
Our success
Our high-quality of service and proven customer satisfaction is highlighted by our numerous award wins
FULLY ACCREDITED
Commited to delivering exemplary standards of quality management
To continuously deliver exemplary standards of Quality Management, we are audited through a number of accredited bodies at periodic intervals. We currently have the following accreditations:
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