Director Shareholding

Ashtead Group PLC
14 August 2002


Shares of 10p 

Ashtead Group plc announces that the Trustee of the Ashtead Employee Benefit 
(the 'Trust'), purchased 59,709 10p Ordinary Shares in the Company on 12 August
2002 at a price of 48p per share. The Trust is a discretionary trust for the
benefit of employees and executive directors of the Company and as potential
beneficiaries of the Trust each of the executive directors is deemed to have an
interest in these shares. It is intended that these shares will be transferred
as Investment and Matching Awards pursuant to awards made under the Company's
Investment Incentive Plan for the financial year ended 30 April 2002.



                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange