Gulf tourists boost Atkins' sales and profits

Engineering consultant Atkins enjoyed solid year-end results, mainly on the back of public sector contracts in design and engineering and strong growth in the middle east.

Sales grew 10 per cent last year to £1.05bn, with operating profits up by a quarter to £63m.

The robust performance came despite ongoing difficulties at Metronet — responsible for the upgrading London's Circle, District and Central underground lines — in which Atkins has a 20 per cent stake.

Metronet was fined £2.5m by London Underground in May for track defects and delays in refurbishing stations. Atkins admitted the operational performance of Metronet remains 'inconsistent' and 'lags behind original expectations.'

Metronet aside, Atkins secured contracts throughout the year which resulted in a 17 per cent increase in revenue from the design and engineering sectors. These include substantial long-term contracts for AWE and The Carbon Trust in its nuclear and power division, a stream of work from Southern Water and Thames Water and an ongoing relationship with the MoD and Airbus.