A LEADING civil engineering company is to help helicopters fly from the North West coast of England after winning a contract worth £1.8m with a major energy firm.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK is designing and constructing a heliport base in Barrow-in-Furness, to support helicopters travelling to and from the Walney Extension off-shore wind farm project.

Walney Extension became the world’s largest offshore wind farm when it officially opened earlier this year. The project was led by Ørsted, which specialises in offshore wind internationally, and is capable of providing clean electricity to almost 600,000 UK homes.

The helicopter base features an aviation fuelling system with a 15,000 litre storage tank, with Jones Bros’ team installing the pipes used to fuel the aircraft.

The team is also installing modular welfare units for staff working on the site, which is situated on a former candle factory.

The project is the latest Jones Bros has undertaken for Ørsted, as the civil engineering firm completed the construction of operations and maintenance facilities for the energy giant in October 2017.

Garod Evans, contracts director at Jones Bros, said: “We’re pleased to continue our relationship with Ørsted through this exciting project.

“The base will be vital for the Walney Extension offshore wind farm to transfer personnel to and from the site.

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros is now being run by the second and third generations of the founding family.

It works on projects including the construction of waste management facilities, highways, flood and marine defence, and renewable energy projects around the UK.