Shropshire-based Hawk group of plant hire companies has entered administration.

The group, based in Prees Green near Whitchurch, is one of the largest independent plant hire companies in the UK and has more than 40 years of experience in the industry.

Hawk Plant (UK) and five of its subsidiaries are now under the control of administrators Sam Woodward, Alex Williams and Hunter Kelly from EY’s restructuring team.

Following the appointment of administrators on Monday, 83 of the group’s 420 employees were made redundant.

The collapse of Carillion and a problem contract in Sierra Leone is understood to have caused a cashflow squeeze that brought the company down.

Accounts for Hawk Plant (UK) Limited show the firm made a pre-tax profit of £515,000 from a turnover of £93.4m during the year to December 31 2017.

During the same period, Hawk Plant Hire Limited made a pre-tax loss of £733,995 on a turnover of £75.4m.

Joint administrator Sam Woodward said: “The group’s cashflow had been impacted by a number of historical problematic contracts and a delay in the commencement of anticipated projects. Coupled with this, the group’s funding structure, with significant hire purchase and finance lease commitments put pressure on the cashflow at a time that asset utilisation was comparatively low.”