Compulsory Acqn of Shares

Balfour Beatty PLC
08 August 2006

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR
FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE
RELEVANT LAWS IN THAT JURISDICTION



                RECOMMENDED CASH OFFER BY BALFOUR BEATTY PLC FOR

                                 BIRSE GROUP PLC



                   POSTING OF COMPULSORY ACQUISITION NOTICES



Balfour Beatty announces that as at 1.00 p.m. on 7 August 2006, valid
acceptances of the Offer had been received in respect of 172,847,743 Birse
Shares, representing approximately 89.8 per cent. of the Birse Shares in issue.
Including the 3,500,000 Birse Shares acquired by Balfour Beatty since 30 June
2006, Balfour Beatty has acquired, or received valid acceptances in respect of
the Offer for, 176,347,743 Birse Shares in aggregate, representing approximately
91.66 per cent. of the Birse Shares in issue.

Pursuant to the provisions of Schedule 2 of the Interim Regulations, Balfour
Beatty announces the despatch today of notices to Birse Shareholders who have
not accepted the Offer, to acquire compulsorily, on the same terms as the Offer,
the remaining Birse Shares in respect of which the Offer has not been accepted.

Birse Shareholders who wish to accept the Offer and who have not already done so
should, if their Birse Shares are held in certificated form, complete and return
their Form of Acceptance as soon as possible in accordance with the instructions
printed on it. Birse Shareholders who hold Birse Shares in uncertificated form
and who have not yet accepted the Offer are reminded to follow the CREST
procedure set out in the Offer Document.

Defined terms used in this announcement have the same meanings as in the Offer
Document dated 30 June 2006.

ENQUIRIES:
Balfour Beatty                                        Tel: [phone]
Ian Tyler (Chief Executive)
Anthony Rabin (Finance Director)
Tim Sharp (Head of Corporate Communications)

Citigroup Global Markets Limited                      Tel: [phone]
(Financial Adviser to Balfour Beatty plc)
Jan Skarbek
James Ireland



This announcement is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an
offer to sell or invitation to purchase any securities in any jurisdiction, nor
shall there be any sale, issue or transfer of the securities referred to in this
announcement in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. The Offer
will be made solely by the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance
accompanying the Offer Document which will contain the full terms of the Offer,
including details of how the Offer may be accepted.

Citigroup Global Markets Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the FSA,
is acting exclusively for Balfour Beatty and no one else in connection with the
Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than Balfour Beatty for
providing the protections afforded to clients of Citigroup Global Markets
Limited or for providing advice in connection with the Offer or any other
matters referred to herein.

The availability of the Offer to Birse Shareholders who are not resident in and
citizens of the United Kingdom or the United States may be affected by the laws
of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located or of which they are
citizens. Such persons should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable
legal or regulatory requirements of their jurisdictions. Further details in
relation to overseas shareholders are contained in the Offer Document.

The Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, in, into or from any
jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and the
Offer is not capable of acceptance from or within any such jurisdiction.
Accordingly, copies of the Offer Document, the Form of Acceptance and any
accompanying document are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly,
mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in, into or from any
jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and
persons receiving the Offer Document, the Form of Acceptance and any
accompanying document (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not
mail or otherwise distribute or send them in, into or from any jurisdiction
where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, as doing so may
invalidate any purported acceptance of the Offer.






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