Winding-up petition is issued to part of firm

A PETITION to wind up part of fast-growing North East construction company Merit has been launched by HM Revenue and Customs.

- TOM KEIGHLEY

Court filings show the action from the tax authority, taken this week against Merit Group Services Limited. It follows two other winding up petitions from suppliers to the firm earlier this year which were later withdrawn.

Details of HMRC's reasons for the step - which it says typically comes after other options have been exhausted - have so far not been revealed.

Officials have said they are acting to protect taxpayers' money.

The petition is a blow for Merit, which has enjoyed success in recent years thanks to its innovative offsite construction methods that have helped it secure work on technically complex projects in the public and private sector. Its Ultra Pod and Flexi Pod technology has been used across the healthcare, bioscience and semiconductor sectors, among others.