Balfour Beatty’s management division has opened an office in north-east England with the aim of increasing its share of the £4bn construction market in the region.

The operation, which is based near Stockton-on-Tees, has 18 employees and is looking to reach a staffing level of about 100 over the next few months.

Ian Basford, director of the north-east division of Balfour Beatty Management, said the increased investment in the region made it a key location.

He said: “The North-east has quite a lot of business opportunities. About £4bn is to be spent in the industry over the next four years. We’d quite like a piece of that.”