One of the UK’s largest construction companies, Carillion, has entered into compulsory liquidation. But what does the firm do?

:: In 1999 the Tarmac Group demerged into a building materials company: Tarmac, and a service provider: Carillion.

:: After 1999 it went on to acquire further well-known companies including Mowlem in 2006, Alfred McAlpine in 2008, Vanbots in 2008, and Eaga in 2011.

:: The company employs around 43,000 globally – around 20,000 in Britain – and has its base in Wolverhampton.

:: The firm is understood to have public sector or public/private partnership contracts worth £1.7 billion, including providing school dinners, cleaning and catering at NHS hospitals, construction work on rail projects such as HS2 and maintaining 50,000 army base homes for the Ministry of Defence.

:: In the UK some of its projects have included the Royal Opera House, the Channel Tunnel, Tate Modern, the Library of Birmingham and the famous doughnut building of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).

:: Internationally it has been responsible for Oman’s parliament – the Majlis, Alvito Dam in Portugal and the Yas Marina Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

:: As recently as January 2, Carillion celebrated the completion of what it described as “another successful project” at Edinburgh Waverley Station.