Director/PDMR Shareholding

Ashtead Group PLC
05 August 2005



Ashtead Group plc


5th August 2005


                               ASHTEAD GROUP PLC

                             Ordinary Shares of 10p

Ashtead Group plc announces that the following directors have subscribed for and
been allotted the following shares under the recently announced Placing and Open
Offer:-

                    No of 10p Ordinary Shares  Percentage of Issued Total Shares Held  Percentage of Issued
                                    Purchased         Share Capital                           Share Capital


Director

GB Burnett                            176,031                0.439%        14,073,695                3.51%
SI Robson                              68,653                0.017%           480,579                1.200%
PA Lovegrove                           63,750                0.016%           446,250                1.115%
AWP Stenham                            33,333                0.008%           233,333                0.582%
C Cole                                  3,333                     -            23,333                0.058%
G Iceton                                3,333                     -            23,333                0.058%
G Drabble                               1,666                     -            11,666                0.029%


The price of the shares was 95.5p per share.


Notes:  The 176,031 shares shown as being allotted to Mr Burnett are in
        respect of 1,056,192 shares in which Mr Burnett has a non-beneficial 
        interest. Mr Burnett's total share holding of 14,073,695, shown above, 
        includes 1,232,223 in which Mr Burnett has a non-beneficial share 
        holding.

        The share holdings in respect of all the other directors listed above 
        are beneficial holdings.


        Mr Robson's total shareholding includes 176,469 ordinary 10p shares held
        conditionally under the terms of the Company's Investment Incentive 
        Plan.

                      This information is provided by RNS
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