Director/PDMR Shareholding

Ashtead Group plc

2nd October 2006

                               ASHTEAD GROUP PLC                               

                            Ordinary Shares of 10p                             

Ashtead Group plc announces that its Employee Share Option Trust has today
transferred 378,000 ordinary 10p shares to Geoffrey Drabble the Group's Chief
Executive Designate who commenced employment on 2nd October 2006.

Mr Drabble is required to hold these shares for a minimum period of one year

This transfer of shares is a contractual commitment made by the Group at the
time of Mr Drabble's appointment and is to compensate him for relinquishing
various incentives when he resigned from his former employer (the Laird Group
plc).