An electrical contracting business which has worked on the Shard and the Royal London & St Bartholomew Hospitals has been bought by an engineering company opening up markets in the Middle East.

STS, based on the 20/20 Estate in Maidstone, has been snapped up by Nortech Group and its Abu Dhabi-based partner Dhabi Contracting for an undisclosed sum.

The company, which employs more than 50 people, was formerly part of Teesside-based Cordell Group, which went into administration last year.

It provides electrical elements for building management systems and has worked on large office developments, data centres, shopping malls and apartment blocks.

It is working on the new Tottenham Hotspur football stadium and Bond Street tube station.

The firm's new owner Nortech Group has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing engineering service providers, having established a relationship with Dhabi Contracting in 2016.

The companies run a joint venture, Dhabi Nortech Consulting LLC, which serves the UAE’s oil and gas, process, petrochemical, chemical, infrastructure and energy sectors.

"The expertise and experience offered by STS will be in demand in the Middle East and its substantial new build programme across the region..." - Bryan Bunn, Nortech Group

Managing director Bryan Bunn said: “The expertise and experience offered by STS will be in demand in the Middle East and its substantial new build programme across the region.

"It also adds value to the breadth of services offered by Nortech and our strong client base across markets such as energy and petrochemicals, while enabling Nortech to establish a presence in London and the South East.”

Sami Edwards, general manager of Dhabi Contracting, said: “STS has a strong track record having worked on some very prestigious UK projects, which we aim to build upon in the Middle East.”

Rick Smith, managing director of STS, said: “This is an important step for STS and presents the opportunity to apply our expertise in new markets and increase our customer base in the UK and internationally."