Offer Update

Balfour Beatty PLC
12 December 2003


Embargoed until 7:30am                   12 December 2003


Not for release, publication or distribution in, into or from the United States,
Australia, Canada or Japan



                         RECOMMENDED CASH OFFERS  BY CITIGROUP
               ON BEHALF OF BALFOUR BEATTY PLC ('BALFOUR BEATTY') FOR
                              MANSELL PLC ('MANSELL')


                  Offers declared unconditional as to acceptances



Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction and services group
announces today that the recommended cash offers made on 20 November 2003 for
the share capital of Mansell, the UK construction and construction services
company ('the Offers') have been declared unconditional as to acceptances.  The
Offers and the Loan Note Alternative will remain open for acceptance until
further notice.



As at 3.00 p.m. (London time) on 11 December 2003 valid acceptances under the
Offers had been received in respect of:

(i)    24,037,794 Ordinary Shares in Mansell, representing
       approximately 94.23 per cent. of the Ordinary Shares in issue;

(ii)   799,322 Preferred Ordinary Shares in Mansell, representing 100
       per cent. of the Preferred Ordinary Shares in issue; and

(iii)  20,000,000 'A' Ordinary Shares in Mansell, representing 100 per
       cent. of the 'A' Ordinary Shares in issue.


The above figures include acceptances for all of the Mansell Shares for which
Balfour Beatty held irrevocable undertakings on the day on which the Offers were
announced.  Those undertakings were in respect of 4,702,806 Ordinary Shares
(representing approximately 18.4 per cent. of Mansell's issued Ordinary Shares
at such time), 380,905 Preferred Ordinary Shares (representing approximately
47.6 per cent. of Mansell's issued Preferred Ordinary Shares at such time) and
20,000,000 'A' Ordinary Shares (representing 100 per cent. of Mansell's issued '
A' Ordinary Shares at such time).



Save as disclosed above, neither Balfour Beatty nor any persons deemed to be
acting in concert with Balfour Beatty held any shares in Mansell or rights over
shares in Mansell before the commencement of the Offer Period or has acquired or
agreed to acquire any such shares or rights over such shares during the Offer
Period.



Certain conditions, including written confirmation from the Office of Fair
Trading that the Offers would not be referred to the Competition Commission for
investigation, and the passing of certain resolutions to amend the articles of
association of Mansell are still outstanding and the Offers, therefore, remain
conditional.  Mansell shareholders who wish to accept the Offers, but have not
already done so, should return their completed Form(s) of Acceptance in
accordance with the instructions set out in the Offer Document as soon as
possible.



Mansell is one of the UK's leading construction and construction services
companies, operating throughout the UK. Its principal operations include both
new build and repair and improvement and are focussed on a number of selected
market sectors, notably social housing, fit-out, education, health, airports,
defence, heritage and telecommunications. Mansell has pursued a strategy of
focussing on specific products and developing sustainable business through
framework and partnering contracts.




                                      ENDS

Enquiries to:

Tim Sharp
Tel: [phone]
www.balfourbeatty.com


Definitions set out in the Offer Document dated 20 November 2003 apply to terms
used in this announcement unless the context otherwise requires.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or an invitation to
purchase any securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities,
pursuant to the Offers or otherwise.  The Offers are made solely by the Offer
Document and the Form(s) of Acceptance accompanying the Offer Document.

Citigroup is acting for Balfour Beatty and no one else in connection with the
Offers and will not be responsible to anyone other than Balfour Beatty for
providing the protections offered to clients of Citigroup nor for providing
advice in relation to the Offers.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange