Latest News

Temporary lay-down area

Temporary lay-down area
Posted on 20/01/2025

A regional water company has to complete a major refurb of a waste water treatment works. As is often the way, this site is both remote and surrounded by prime agricultural land, but there is no room on site to bring in and hold the men and equipment required to enable the extensive works. Negotiations…

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A grey day, but never a dull moment

A grey day, but never a dull moment
Posted on 04/11/2024

Our service division – being the multiskilled and resourceful sorts of chaps they are – are never shy of saying yes to a challenge. So we’re never short of weird, wonderful, old and new bits of kit in the yards and workshops for a bit of love and attention. I was a bit surprised, though,…

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Making a way

Making a way
Posted on 10/10/2024

There is a Latin expression “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam” which means “I shall either find a way, or make one.” A national-scale civil engineering company had a drain to put in a road that was the only way in and out of a large housing development in Kent. Due to existing gas and water…

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Temporary Car Park

Road Plate Hire Zigmats
Posted on 19/07/2024

Even at the height of festival season we were able to install this scheme for a temporary car park in the north of England. This enabled the client to boost their warehousing and logistics workforce, by 200 allowing them to deal with a seasonal uptick in demand. Photos care of Carl Somner.

Our guy at Guy’s

Our guy at Guy’s
Posted on 16/07/2024

It was an early rise to get these 4×2 mega plates installed in the super-busy access for Guy’s Hospital in London. They are the perfect temporary-works solution to keep this vital artery open, whilst engineers figure out what to do with the subterranean tank covers that are showing signs of sagging. Super quick, super safe, super Southdown. …

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‘Assiettes de saison’ (Seasonal plates)

Seasonal Road Plates in Paris
Posted on 07/05/2024

Swift forking on of two loads out of the yard today for 20-tonne batches of Temporary Structure Ballast Plates bound for some pavilion foundations at the Paris Olympics. The ever popular SALLY lifter not only makes the lifting and installation easy, but gives the engineers a perfect anchorage for their structural connections. Photos care of…

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Iron road…

Road Plate Hire Lift Plan
Posted on 01/05/2024

One of the joys of having a great transport team and a varied fleet is being able to offer solutions to problems well outside what would be expected by most hire companies. So as an alternative to a VERY expensive crane hire, we were able to lay an 80m x 3m runway of solid steel…

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Mud free, 6 of the best!

Mud Free
Posted on 12/01/2024

Limited offer on FREE STUFF! A gift from us to you to help keep the mud out of your face whilst you have a cup of tea and a sarnie. Six of our walkover mats free with every welfare unit. Offer runs until the end of April 2024. Simply mention ’walkovers’ when you enquire. Pictures…

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Perfect party planning!

Party planning road plates carpark
Posted on 22/12/2023

A discerning client in East Sussex went the extra mile – quite literally – and went to the trouble of laying on 1,500 sq/m of ZIGMATS so his party guests can park on his land for a New Year’s party without fear or fuss of getting stuck. Also a big shout out to the Southdown…

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Enterprise Day, New HQ launch party

About Road Plate Hire, part of Southdown Engineers
Posted on 01/12/2023

I’m very fortunate to operate in an industry I love and so enjoy the vast majority of my days at work. But some days, like Saturday 11 November – stand head and shoulders above the rest. We purchased a 3 acre site a former cattery some 5 years ago. Since then we have successfully negotiated…

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