Buckhurst Plant Hire expands overhead line fleet with £2.7m acquisition

Buckhurst Plant Hire, a Rawtenstall-based provider of specialist plant and utility equipment, has announced a £2.7m acquisition of overhead line (OHL) equipment from United Infrastructure.

The fleet comprises a comprehensive range of high-specification equipment, including puller tensioners, winches, lifting equipment and specialised stringing machinery. These assets are vital for the installation, maintenance, and upgrading of overhead power lines and national grid networks.

The sale sees 16 plant specialists join the wider team of plant experts at Buckhurst, taking the staffing levels at the firm - which most recently recorded turnover of £23.9m and a net profit of £1.8m - to more than 100 across its sites nationwide.

Lee Gansler, specialist division director of Buckhurst Plant Hire, said: "We are incredibly excited to bring this fleet into the Buckhurst family. This acquisition directly aligns with our commitment to meeting the growing demands of the UK’s utility and power infrastructure sectors.

"In a comprehensive 3+2 year deal, Buckhurst Plant Hire will continue to support all the existing and new United Infrastructure projects.

"The United Infrastructure brand has a stellar reputation for quality. By integrating these specialist assets into our nationwide network, we can offer our customers unparalleled availability and a true 'one-stop-shop' experience for utility projects."

Campbell Crawford, managing director, United Infrastructure Power T&D said: “This partnership gives us access to Buckhurst's scale and expertise in plant hire, allowing us to invest in the latest equipment and innovation while strengthening the delivery our customers already rely on."

For United Infrastructure, the sale allows the company to streamline its asset portfolio to focus heavily on its core tier-one contracting, civil engineering, and infrastructure delivery pipelines, ensuring that the specialised fleet moves to a dedicated hire partner capable of maximising its deployment across the wider industry.

The equipment will be operated from the Darlington site where all the existing plant department staff have joined Buckhurst Plant Hire, backed by the company's fully qualified, round-the-clock maintenance and support fitters.

Integration of the assets begins immediately, with the fleet fully operational and available for hire under the Buckhurst banner