Plant hire is where Ashcroft started. The business was set up in 1994 offering plant hire and civil engineering subcontract work, and the yard at Flimby, just down the coast road from Maryport, still supplies machines to sites right across West Cumbria.
We run the same fleet on our own demolition, groundworks and construction contracts, and it is kept going by our own HGV and plant mechanics. That matters when you hire from us: the machine that turns up on your job is one we depend on ourselves.
Machine details are also listed on our main plant hire page.
Self-drive works well for dumpers and smaller telehandlers on sites that already have competent people. Whoever drives has to be trained and competent on that type of machine, and most managed sites will want to see a CPCS, NPORS or equivalent card before anyone gets in the cab. While the machine is with you, you look after it: daily checks, fuel, security overnight and keeping it within its limits.
Operated hire puts one of our drivers in the seat. On anything beyond a small job it is usually the better value, because an experienced operator gets more done in a shift and is far less likely to clip a buried cable or damage the machine. One point people often miss: under the CPA Model Conditions, which much of the UK hire industry works to, a hired-in operator works under the hirer's direction. You still need to plan the work, provide a safe system of work and tell the operator where the services run. We go through the hire terms with you before the job starts.
A lot of hire problems come down to the wrong size of machine. Before you ring round, it helps to know about:
Tell us what the job is and we will suggest the machine. If it turns out to be wrong, being local makes a swap far easier to arrange.
Most of our hire work is within easy reach of the yard: Maryport, Flimby, Workington, Cockermouth, Whitehaven, Aspatria, Wigton, Silloth, Egremont, Cleator Moor and Keswick. On larger contracts we supply plant further afield across Cumbria, the North of England and South West Scotland, often alongside our own demolition and groundworks teams.
Spoil and hardcore from your job can come back to our yard as well. Our tipper wagons haul inert material to the recycling site near Maryport, where it is crushed and screened into aggregate. Our page on construction waste recycling explains how that works.
For a quick and accurate price, give us the site address and postcode, the type of work, any access restrictions, whether you want self-drive or operated, and roughly how long you need the machine. Hire can run from a single day to the length of a contract. Get in touch through our contact page.
The law requires anyone using work equipment to be trained and competent to use it. A card such as CPCS or NPORS is the usual way of showing that, and most principal contractors will not let anyone operate plant without one. If nobody on your team holds the right card, operated hire is the simpler option.
Yes. Our tracked excavators, dozer and 3CX go out with CPCS operators, and dumpers and telehandlers can be operated if needed. Minimum hire periods depend on the machine and the travel involved, and we confirm them when we quote.
It depends on the hire terms, so read them before you sign. On self-drive hire the hirer normally refuels the machine and is responsible for loss or damage beyond fair wear and tear while it is on site, which is why many contractors carry hired-in plant insurance. On operated hire, fuel is agreed in the quote.
Yes. Our eight-wheel tippers are hired with drivers for muck-away, bulk removal and site clearance. Inert spoil and hardcore can go to our recycling site rather than to landfill, which often works out cheaper.
We are based at Flimby, between Maryport and Workington, and most of our hire goes to sites in West Cumbria. We do supply further afield on longer hires and larger contracts, so it is always worth asking.
Ashcroft Plant (Cumbria) Ltd is a CHAS member and an approved Constructionline supplier (number 103246).