Filling a hole – in Newham
Wednesday 27th May, 2026
National company Construction Testing Solutions has expanded into Cornwall
If you’ve ever wondered who tests the materials used to help keep roads safer, longer lasting and less prone to potholes, Chris Simmons is the man to tell you.
As managing director of nationwide company Construction Testing Solutions - one of the newest arrivals on Newham Industrial Estate - he oversees rigorous checks carried out on everything from asphalt and aggregates to soils and concrete. The company supports projects ranging from road maintenance and infrastructure upgrades to foundations and earthworks, helping ensure things are built correctly first time.
“We don’t physically repair potholes ourselves, but we play an important role in helping prevent them by ensuring the materials used and the workmanship on site meet the required standards from the outset,” says Chris.
Indeed, heading west of the Tamar was a matter of filling a hole in itself. “I joined the business last September, and with Cornwall Council announcing a multi-million-pound investment into the county’s roads and infrastructure, I felt we needed to have a genuine local presence here,” says Chris.
“Historically, companies carrying out this type of testing in Cornwall often had staff travelling in from much further afield rather than employing locally. We wanted to change that by investing in Cornwall itself, creating local jobs and reducing unnecessary travel into the county.
“Plus, Cornwall has always been somewhere I’ve personally felt connected to – my gran was a Penzance girl, and I’ve been holidaying in St Agnes with my family for more than 20 years.”
With CTS’ HQ in Leicester and the company now employing 440 people from Aberdeen to Truro, the search was on for an office base. “Our aim is to have teams located within reasonable reach of the areas they support – partly for environmental reasons, but also for the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff,” says Chris.
“For that reason, we didn’t want to go any further west than Truro; we started looking in Newham, and what we saw there was by far the best option.
“Being based locally also means faster response times for customers and less time spent travelling long distances into Cornwall, which is better environmentally and helps support a more sustainable local service model.”
Construction Testing Solutions is a Newham BID levy payer. “I’d never been involved in a BID before, but from what I can see in terms of on-site security and promotion, it’s great value for money,” says Chris.