Director/PDMR Shareholding

Ashtead Group plc

20 September 2012

                               ASHTEAD GROUP PLC                               

Ashtead Group plc announces that on 19 September 2012 it made the annual awards
for 2012 to 123 senior executives under its Performance Share Plan (`PSP').

Awards under the PSP comprise the conditional right to receive ordinary shares
of 10p each which normally vest on the third anniversary of grant subject to
continued employment and the meeting of challenging performance targets
established by the Remuneration Committee. The Company intends to utilise
shares held by the Company's Employee Share Ownership Trust to fulfil any
obligation to employees which may arise in 2015.

Included within the awards are the following awards made to the executive
directors of Ashtead Group plc:

Director              Number of Shares              Percentage of Issued   
                                                                           
                      Covered by Award                 Share Capital       
                                                                           
Geoff Drabble         216,680                    0.04%                     
                                                                           
Sat Dhaiwal           67,012                     0.01%                     
                                                                           
Brendan Horgan        84,491                     0.02%                     
                                                                           
Suzanne Wood          84,491                     0.02%                     

The exercise price for the above awards is GBP1 for all the ordinary shares to
which the award relates. No consideration was paid for the grant of any of
these awards.

Contacts:

Chris Cole Non-executive Chairman 0207 299 5562

Geoff Drabble Chief executive 0207 726 9700