Drainage contractor clears the way for bigger projects with new funding

A specialist highways drainage contractor has secured £3.9m in funding from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, managed by Mercia Ventures.

Telford-based Crown Plus will use the investment to upgrade its equipment and take on larger projects.

The company, which holds a contract with National Highways, uses cutting-edge technology to map and maintain critical infrastructure across the Midlands and South West.

Founded in 2015 by civil engineering experts Paul Conner and Gary Price, Crown Plus has nearly tripled its turnover in three years.

Its latest innovation, the VERGEBlaster, is shaking up filter drain maintenance—cleaning and recycling gravel on-site to cut costs and landfill waste.

Paul Conner, director and co-founder said: “Crown Plus has a solid industry reputation but we have now reached a pivotal point where we need to invest in new equipment to exploit the opportunities ahead. This funding will enable us to implement our five-year vision for expansion. We look forward to working with Mercia and the British Business Bank as we embark on this new chapter of growth and development.”

Beth Bannister, senior investment manager at the British Business Bank said: “The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II was established to provide funding to smaller businesses across the region. Almost a year after the fund’s launch, it is great to see Crown Plus, a Telford-based business, secure this equity investment. It highlights the fund’s commitment to support growing and ambitious local businesses across the whole of the Midlands.”