Carillion has installed secret video cameras on sites to catch out workers vandalising equipment and completed parts of projects
A Building investigation into sabotage has revealed that the contractor has installed covert CCTV cameras in an attempt to stop deliberate damage, which is costing it tens of thousands of pounds a year.

Richard Houson, Carillion operations director for the south of England, said that sabotage on site had become a big issue. He said: "We have been putting covert CCTV cameras on to the sites to catch the culprits. These are malicious acts of vandalism and we aim to deal with them as quickly as possible."

Houson said that acts of sabotage had decreased since the cameras had been placed on two sites, one a high-value residential scheme and another an office development.

He said posters and notices had also been placed on sites warning workers not to deliberately damage any property of the firm and advising them that measures were being taken to stamp out vandalism.

We have been putting covert CCTV cameras on sites to catch the culprits

Carillion operations director Richard Houson

Houson said that projects were at most risk from acts of vandalism when a building was near completion. He added that security had been increased for this phase.

Forensic science psychiatrist Kevin Clearly offered a possible motive. He said acts of sabotage could be a form of revenge by building workers who were angry about poor conditions in the industry.

He said: "Workers in the industry often have to deal with poor site conditions and working environments, and this feeling is stored in their memory – either consciously or subconsciously, and could prompt the need for them to carry out vandalism."