In pictures: O'Rourke to start repairing Carillion's botched Liverpool hospital

Laing O’Rourke is set to begin repairing work botched by Carillion at the hospital it was building in Liverpool when it collapsed last year.

Preparation work has been completed ahead of repairs starting later this month.

It follows a report from Arup which found problems with the structural beams when its engineers were asked by the hospital trust to give the mothballed site a safety review.

Repair work will involve pouring more than 220m³ of concrete and erecting 165 tonnes of steelwork.

Jim Bell, director at Arup, said: “Our structural review looked at the building as it is now and the building at its peak use, once the hospital is open and fully operational.

“The solutions to address these issues involve using tried and tested methods to strengthen existing beams, reduce loads that are causing structural issues and putting in place additional support.”

I visited the site of new Royal Liv hospital this am with Mayor Joe Anderson. Appalling to see structures being pulled down to reach defective beams put up when Carillion was in charge. Major Qs to answer & vital the new hospital is finished ASAP. Will raise this with Ministers.

— Louise Ellman MP (@LouiseEllman) June 10, 2019

Laing O’Rourke’s project director for the job, Andy Thomson, admitted: “Fixing the structural issues is a complex programme of work, with the added challenge of protecting the existing hi-tech fixtures and fittings in the hospital. This requires heating the building and maintaining water flow to prevent deterioration.”

Arup’s review for the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust, which was carried out last year, also flagged cladding issues at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital.

Some of this cladding will need to be ripped down so workers repairing the hospital can get access to parts of the site later this summer.