Performance Share Plan

ASHTEAD GROUP PLC                               

                            PERFORMANCE SHARE PLAN                             

Ashtead Group plc, the international equipment rental group serving the
construction, industrial and homeowner markets, announces that today, 12
October 2006, it made the annual awards for 2006 to 64 senior executives under
its Performance Share Plan ('PSP').

Awards under the PSP comprise the conditional right to receive ordinary shares
of 10p each which normally vest on the third anniversary of grant subject to
continued employment and the meeting of challenging earnings per share targets
established by the Remuneration Committee. The Company intends to utilise
existing shares held by the Company's Employee Share Ownership Trust to fulfill
any obligation to employees which may arise in October 2009.

Included within the awards made today are awards as follows to the executive
directors of Ashtead Group plc:

                                    Number of Shares       Percentage of Issued
                                                                               
Director                            Covered by Award              Share Capital
                                                                               
Geoff Drabble                                264,943                      0.04%
                                                                               
Sat Dhaiwal                                   90,468                      0.01%
                                                                               
Cliff Miller                                 174,047                      0.03%
                                                                               
Ian Robson                                   193,861                      0.03%

The exercise price for the above awards is £1 for all the ordinary shares to
which the award relates. No consideration was paid for the grant of any of
these awards.

Contacts:

Cob Stenham        Non-executive Chairman       020 7299 5562

George Burnett     Chief executive            ) 01372 362300
Geoff Drabble      Chief executive designate  )