Roofing and cladding contractor Coverite has launched a legal battle against Shepherd Construction after being thrown off a £20m project in Leeds.

Shepherd is understood to have terminated Coverite’s involvement in the West Central residential development after judging that the subcontractor did not have the resources to finish the job.

Coverite has retaliated with a claim against Shepherd, saying it was unfairly dismissed.

Tony Speroni, Coverite managing director, confirmed the firm had been taken off the job and was pursuing a claim against Shepherd.

He said: “We believe Shepherd wrongly terminated our £3m contract and are seeking a six-figure sum in compensation.”

Shepherd declined to comment. However, a source at Shepherd said: “The contractor claimed it could not finish the project without more money. They were having problems and the job was running late.”