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Tue 8th December 2009
Construction firm wins compensation from 'negligent' consultants

A construction company is to receive compensation from a firm of consultant engineers who provided negligent advice on a building project.

The engineers had been asked to advise on the kind of foundations needed to support a proposed water treatment works. After carrying out tests, they recommended that a conventional approach with some modifications would be sufficient.

The project went ahead on that basis but it then transpired that the recommended foundations would not meet the required standard and a more expensive approach would have to be taken. This led to considerable extra cost and delays.

The construction company sought damages on the basis that the advice given by the consultants had been negligent.

The court held that the consultants had been in breach of their duty to exercise reasonable skill in carrying out their work. They were ordered to pay compensation for the cost of carrying out the remedial work required to get the project back on track.

They were also ordered to pay more than a third of the construction company's legal costs.

Please contact our Dispute Resolution Team if you would more information about professional negligence issues on 01234 400000 or email mlawrence@pwhmllp.com