Costain order book picks up

Engineering and construction group Costain said trading has continued in line with expectations, helped by some large contracts with blue chip and public sector customers.It said its forward order book stands at a record £2.4bn, up by 20% compared with 30 June last year, including £900m of work secured for 2009.Since the beginning of the year, the firm has secured a £397m contract for the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, a 10-year contract with water group Severn Trent worth an estimated £400m and in a joint venture a further five-year maintenance contract worth £200m for the Highways Agency. Costain Group