Wharton Construction - the firm behind the transformation of Darlington’s historic indoor market - has secured more than £7million worth of work in Teesside during the first six months of 2021, but has warned about inflated prices for materials.

The firm, based in Darlington, has also secured a further £8m of projects expected to get underway by the year’s end, and £2m worth of work with new clients as part of plans to expand their customer base.

Director Matthew Wharton said: “Traditionally, as a family-run firm, we have worked with a relatively small pool of clients and architects, but over the past 12 months we have developed a more proactive attitude by going out and winning new business.”

Wharton Construction is involved in several high-profile projects, including The Northern Studios, the North East’s first dedicated large-scale film and TV studio at The Northern School of Art’s Hartlepool campus, together with the indoor market, a new sixth form centre at Carmel College, Darlington, and the Goosepool Bar at Teesside International Airport.

Matthew added: “We are delighted to have been selected for these projects. Strengthening our ties with existing clients whilst also developing relationships with new customers is down to the hard work of all our employees.”

“The construction market is particularly buoyant at the moment and has allowed us to build a healthy pipeline of work.

“However, companies are currently facing inflated prices for materials, a trend that if allowed to continue, will make some development projects unviable.”