Dawnus: Collapsed Swansea construction firm's kit auctioned

An auction selling off a collapsed construction firm's equipment is set to take place on Thursday.

Swansea-based Dawnus went under in March, owing almost £50m which is "highly unlikely" to be repaid, according to administrators Grant Thornton.

Euro Auctions are hoping to raise £4m or more from the auctions on Thursday and Friday.

Over 1,000 items are catalogued for sale over the two days.

Items will include site dumpers, rollers, excavators, crushers, screens, and agricultural and commercial vehicles.

Over 300 people are expected at the auction in Swansea on Thursday, according to event organisers.

Friday's auction will be held online.

Last month it emerged that Dawnus owed unsecured debts of £40.5m to other businesses, £5m to its employees, and £3m in taxes.

A secured loan of £1.5m made by the Welsh Government may be paid back, but potentially with some shortfall.

The government previously said it continued to work closely with the administrator to recoup the money owed.

Around 700 people were working for the Swansea-based Dawnus Group or its subcontractors when it went under in March.

A total of 44 construction projects in Wales and England were halted at the time, including work on Swansea's Kingsway, schools in Powys, and the £15m Manchester-Salford Inner Relief Route improvement scheme.