CONSTRUCTION and support services group Carillion, which is building Swindon's Great Western Hospital, says its long-term strategy is a success after seeing half-year profits nearly double.

The Wolverhampton-based group, originally part of aggregates group Tarmac, has been expanding beyond its construction base to include business services and the public private partnership (PPP) sector.

Last year it snapped up the 51 per cent stake in the GT Railways Maintenance business it did not already own and has also built up a portfolio of PPP contracts.

It meant PPP turnover increased from £19.7m to £25m in the six months to June 30, while business services reported a 27 per cent jump to £398.5m.

That helped group pre-tax profits surge from £8.2m to £16.1m, while the order book increased to a record £5.3 billion.

Group turnover dipped from £857.4 m to £845.5m because of lower income in its construction services division.

Over the past year Carillion has sold its social housing arm, downsized its Crown House engineering business, withdrawn from small civil engineering projects and focused on larger deals.

But despite the slide, Carillion remained upbeat for the future.