TWO major suppliers of construction materials were told to sell plants and quarries across the UK to allay competition fears.
The Competition Commission said Anglo American, which owns Tarmac, and France’s Lafarge must offload some of their operations before a proposed merger of their UK businesses can go ahead.
They must sell one of the UK’s largest cement plants – Lafarge’s Hope facility in Derbyshire – as well as more than half the joint venture’s ready-mix concrete capacity. It is expected that the Hope plant and supporting operations such as a nearby quarry and three linked rail depots will go to a single buyer.
Lafarge and Anglo American said they were confident the conditions proposed by the Commission will be met.
