Construction equipment such as lighting towers and concrete tamping tools is being used on a growing number of civil engineering projects.

According to figures from Glenigan, the amount of civil engineering project starts in December 2009 was 16 per cent up on the previous year.

The organisation attributed this partly to a rise in the amount of infrastructure work on the transport network, in particular rail and road upgrades.

Ongoing projects costing more than £100 billion were also said to be boosting the construction industry, in particular the current widening scheme on the M25.

The surge towards of the turn of the year suggests equipment such as lighting towers are in high demand, as many construction engineers will be working outside in the hours of darkness.

Work is currently proceeding to widen the stretch of the M25 between Junctions 16 and 23, while similar work is being carried out between Junctions 27 and 30.

Transport minister Sadiq Khan recently cited this as an example of the government's commitment to increasing the capacity of Britain's busiest roads.