Holding(s) in Company

ASHTEAD GROUP PLC                               

                            Ordinary Shares of 10p                             

Ashtead Group plc announces it has been advised by The Goldman Sachs Group
Inc., ("GS Inc") that as at 2nd June 2006 it was interested in a total of
24,299,221 (or 5.9%) of its shares comprising:

 a. an interest in 242,146 shares arising from the interest held by Goldman
    Sachs & Co., a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of GS Inc, acting as
    custodian. These shares are, or will be, registered in the name of Goldman
    Sachs Securities (Nominees) Limited;
   
 b. an interest in 24,057,075 shares arising from a beneficial interest held by
    Goldman Sachs International, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of GS Inc.
    These shares are, or will be, registered at CREST in account CREPTEMP.