More than 400 jobs are at risk after Caldwell Construction, a groundworks and civil engineering firm, was placed into administration.

The Stoke-on-Trent-based company, founded in 2007, which also has an office in Warrington, Cheshire, is being overseen by administrators PKF Littlejohn Advisory.

According to Paul Smith, a partner at PKF Littlejohn, the construction sector has faced challenging trading conditions in recent years, including rising costs, project delays, and market uncertainty.

Smith said: “These pressures were exacerbated at Caldwell in recent weeks, placing significant strain on cashflow and operations.

“The PKF Littlejohn Advisory team in Manchester and Leeds had worked closely with Caldwell’s management over the past few months to explore all available options and potential solutions for the business.

“Unfortunately, despite extensive efforts, it was not possible to secure a way forward that would allow the company to continue trading outside of an insolvency process.”