THE effects of the collapse of the massive construction firm Carillion are still coming to light across Cheshire.

On the face of it, it would appear that few are involved, but there are thousands of smaller firms across the country who supplied or worked on behalf of Carillion, who are likely to have been impacted.

The three local area health trusts namely East Cheshire, Southern Cheshire and Vale Royal have told the Guardian that they had no contracts or agreements with Carillion.

Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Councils said they had no contracts with the failed company although the former did have an interest in the Airport Relief Road scheme but only insofar as it passes through the borough.

The spokesman added: "The contract for the relief road was made with Stockport Council and Carillion and we are now trying to find out if this will mean delays to its scheduled opening date."

Stockport councillor Philip Harding said: "The road was due to be opened in the autumn of last year but was delayed to be opened this Spring, but that now depends on whether the construction works complete to that date."

The North West region chairman at the Federation of Small Business (FSB) Simon Edmondson said: "“It is vital Carillion’s small business suppliers are paid what they are owed, or some of those firms could themselves be put in jeopardy, putting even more jobs at risk besides those of Carillion’s own staff.

“These unpaid bills may well go back several months. The FSB wrote to Carillion in July 2017 to express concern after hearing from members that the company was making small suppliers wait 120 days to be paid.

"Sadly these kind of poor payment practices are all too common among some big corporates. Perhaps if they weren’t it would be easier to spot the warning signs of a huge company in financial trouble.

“When the dust settles on this sorry saga, there is also a wider lesson to learn about the concentration of public contracts in the hands of a small number of very big businesses.

"Our specialist team can offer advice to any businesses who have concerns around their business cash flow and how it could be affected by the demise of a contractor they work with."

Meanwhile, the boss of at a Northwich based accountancy firm has warned that Carillion’s demise may also cause a domino effect for many other companies, sub-contractors and individuals that are linked to suppliers of this first tier contractor.

Christian Goulding, the head of corporate finance at Howard Worth said: “We would advise clients to be prepared for the impact that a supplier entering liquidation or administration could have on their business before it happens."

If your business has been directly affected by Carillion’s liquidation or you have any concerns regarding your business’ cash flow contact the corporate finance team on 01606 369000.