Consultant WSP has delivered a half year pre-tax profits increase of 43%.

Begbies Traynor, the UK’s leading insolvency company, today reveals that the number of UK contractors experiencing “Critical Problems” in the second quarter of 2008 has increased substantially over the same period in 2007.

Construction firm Kier Group has today said it will cut 350 jobs, becoming the latest construction firm to announce job cuts due to the housing market slump.

Building supplies firm Wolseley has seen its profits fall by 35% over the past year.