Holding(s) in Company

Ashtead Group PLC
16 May 2003


Letter to:  RNS

Ashtead Group plc
Ordinary Shares of 10p

The Company has been advised today by Schroder Investment Management Limited 
(SIML) that Schroder interests manage a total of 41,146,494 shares in the 
Company on a discretionary basis for clients under investment management 
agreements as follows:

1.  Managed by SIML
          Registered or to be registered in the names
          Other than Schroder Nominees Ltd                       4,044,200

2.  Managed in unit trusts by Schroder Unit Trusts
    Ltd and registered in the names of Chase Nominees
    Ltd                                                         32,367,969

                                                                36,412,169

The above interest in 36,412,169 shares in the Company represents an interest 
of 11.181% in the issued share capital of 325,655,164 shares. This new holding 
is an decrease of 1.454% in SIML's interest in the Company since the last report
on 14 March 2003.

Letter from: Ashtead Group Plc


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