Trading Statement

RNS Number : 7628E

Shanks Group PLC

01 October 2008

 



Shanks Group Plc

Pre Close Trading Statement for the six months to 30 September 2008

1 October 2008

Shanks Group plc, a leading European environmental company focusing on the provision of sustainable waste management solutions, today issues the following pre close trading statement.

The Group's interim results announcement for the six months to 30 September 2008 will be published on Thursday 6 November 2008.

Results during the first half have been encouraging and should be slightly ahead of our earlier expectations aided by solid overall trading and the strength of the Euro.

Activity levels in our Dutch Solid Waste business continue to be high.  The interruption in June to the waste water activity at our ATM hazardous waste facility in the Netherlands has now been resolved.  Also at ATM we have received a favourable decision relating to a long running dispute on excise duties which will result in a rebate of historic operating costs that substantially offsets the impact of the above interruption and reduces costs going forwards.

In the UK, Solid Waste has continued to show strong year on year growth.

In Belgium new input streams to our landfill continue to mitigate the decline resulting from the ban on the landfilling of raw municipal waste introduced in January 2008. As previously highlighted we still expect the contribution from the landfill activity to decline over the medium term.

Looking forwards, the strong first half performance gives us confidence for the future.

For further information please contact:

Tom Drury, Group Chief Executive

Fraser Welham, Group Finance Director

Shanks Group plc

Telephone [phone]

David Allchurch, Stephen Malthouse

Tulchan Communications 

Telephone [phone]

 

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