THE Brexit vote may not have been what many companies wanted but the region can ride through the EU maelstrom, a defiant North-East construction boss has said.

Brian Manning says businesses can continue moving forward amid the uncertainty, saying contract opportunities and renewed Government action can smooth their progress.

Mr Manning, Esh Group chief executive, added the UK has yet to plumb depths last seen in the economic downturn though he warned company officials to refrain from using Brexit as an easy excuse to postpone work.

Mr Manning was speaking after Esh, which has its head office in Bowburn, near Durham City, revealed it had undergone a year of consolidation in 2015.

Pre-tax profits were down £8.6m in the year to December 31, however, Mr Manning said the comparison on 12 months ago was unfair as 2014 was a transformational year that included a deal to buy Border Construction to expand into Cumbria and Scotland.

He told The Northern Echo that Esh had spent money on new IT systems and was looking towards 2017 with confidence, saying its order book is well on.

That volume of work could include a new stadium for the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, which Esh sponsors, with plans submitted to build a 2,800 capacity seater venue in the city.

He said: “The Brexit might not have been what the business community wanted, it may have been the last thing we wanted, but we have to deal with it.

“We have got uncertainty and we need to let it settle, but we have a new Prime Minister and the fact that happened quickly has to be a good thing.

“We don’t know if EU funding for projects will continue, but things are steady and it’s not like 2008, 2009 or 2010; we have moved on from there.

“The big thing is people’s confidence and we need to fully understand it all but we’ve already started to look at next year.

“The construction industry is showing signs of sustained recovery and we are well positioned to lead new opportunities once devolution and the EU are more settled.”

Reacting to its annual results, Mr Manning revealed Esh, which employs more than 1,200 people across the north and Scotland, had completed a number of projects, including a £7.4m learning centre at Middlesbrough College and a £5.4m deal to oversee social housing operator Thirteen’s new Stockton headquarters.

He said: “2014 was a record year for us in terms of turnover and was helped by the fact we bought Border Construction and the market picked up.

“That was a year of transformation and 2015 was a year of consolidation.

“We had a change of government and social housing fell because of the drop in funding.

“We’ve also seen profit affected by market conditions, investments in business outside the North-East and costs ahead of a major IT project.

“But there was, and is, work on the civil engineering side and the commercial side, on things like schools and office developments.

“Our Northumbrian Water framework is still very strong too.”

Mr Manning said his optimism was helped by potential work on the Eagles’ new base, which would include a gym, offices, teaching rooms and hospitality area.

He also stressed the contract was not handed to Esh simply because of its sponsorship arrangement.

He added: “We have working on it for about two years.

“It has moved closer but there is still work to be done.

“We have had to bid for this and it would be good if we could build it for them.”