Holding in Company

Balfour Beatty PLC
4 August 2000


Balfour Beatty plc ('the Company') today received notice that The Capital
Group Companies, Inc. ('The Capital Group') through its investment management
company affiliates, has decreased its notifiable interest in the ordinary
share capital of the Company from 20,849,498 ordinary shares and now hold
16,713,914 ordinary shares, representing 3.98% of the issued ordinary capital
of the Company.  The Capital Group has informed the Company that it has no
beneficial interest in these shares which are all held in accounts under
discretionary investment management.