Civil and marine engineering specialists since 1975
Hard to Reach.
Hard to Close.
Hard to Fix.
Those are the structures Topbond PLC is built for. Our five specialist companies test, repair, strengthen and replace bridges, buildings and marine structures, on land or from the water, with our own UKAS-accredited laboratory, footbridge and cast stone works, and marine fleet.
Go straight to Testing Structural Repair Footbridges Cast Stone Marine and Plant
- ¾ mileoffshore to repair Herne Bay pier, using our own marine plant
- 1 nightto cut out and remove a 130 t footbridge beside a live railway
- 36.7 mfootbridge span floated into place on our own pontoon at Berry Hill, Taplow
- No. 1547our UKAS-accredited testing laboratory, HTS, to ISO 17025
Clients and frameworks include
- National Highways
- Transport for London
- BAM Nuttall
- Kier
- Ringway Jacobs
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Essex County Council
- Suffolk County Council
- Cyngor Gwynedd
- London City Airport
Point at the problem
Show Us What Needs Attention. We'll Bring the Right Team.
Every number on this drawing is something our teams deal with week in, week out. Choose one to see what we do about it and which of our companies does it, then add it to your brief.
Stonework and Facades
- Broadmead
- Topbond
Eroded copings, cracked cills, missing balusters, or cracks in masonry cladding where a steel frame is corroding inside it.
- Broadmead surveys and templates the existing stone, then casts new units to match, from stock moulds or bespoke ones.
- Balustrades, copings, cills, quoins, string courses and pier caps, with drawings for fixing on site.
- Topbond repairs the masonry and installs cathodic protection to stop steel frame corrosion, the problem known as Regent Street Disease.
Orient House: a failing cathodic protection system refurbished and re-zoned on a Grade II listed building in a city centre.
River Walls, Jetties and Outfalls
- Topbond Marine
- Topbond
A river wall losing its capping beam, rotten jetty timbers, storm damage, or a berth that has to take a bigger ship.
- Sheet-piled river walls with concrete capping beams.
- Jetty, quay, fender and slipway repairs in concrete, steel and timber, including the licences they need.
- Drainage, culverts and flood alleviation, from early contractor involvement to design and build.
Cooks Road, London E15: a mass concrete wall demolished and 90 m of sheet-piled river wall installed with a concrete capping beam.
Bearings, Joints and Parapets
- Topbond
Worn bearings, leaking joints and parapets that no longer meet today's design loads.
- Bearing replacements and joint renewals on structures that stay in use.
- Parapet upgrades and vehicle restraint systems, including on bridges over live railways.
- Steelwork repairs after bridge strikes, strengthening and bespoke temporary works.
Cowdray Avenue, Colchester: failing parapets over the railway replaced with like-for-like precast parapets made in-house, all within a 72-hour possession.
Spalling, Cracking and Corrosion
- Topbond
- HTS
Concrete breaking away, rust staining and cracks that point to corroding reinforcement.
- Sprayed and hand-placed concrete repairs, crack repairs, fairing coats and protective coatings.
- Cathodic protection to control corrosion and extend a structure's service life.
- Carbon fibre strengthening to increase the capacity of an existing structure.
Chiswick Bridge: concrete repairs to the arch soffits of a Grade II listed bridge, worked tidally from a barge, with robotic breaking so no alkaline run-off reached the Thames.
Working From the Water
- Topbond Marine
Piers, soffits, jetties and riverbeds that can only be reached from the water.
- Topjack, our 250 t jack-up barge with 36 m legs, and an 80 t Mariner.
- Uniflotes, Linkflotes, NATO floats and plastic pontoons for river and canal work, with Schottel tugs and safety boats.
- Every craft comes with its own trained, ticketed operating crew.
Milford Bridge, River Derwent: a modular pontoon platform and access tower from our plant hire division reached the soffit without scaffolding across the A6.
Testing and Investigation
- HTS
You need to know what is happening inside the concrete before anyone starts breaking it out.
- UKAS-accredited half-cell, cover meter and resistivity surveys, carbonation depth, reinforcement continuity, and dust and core sampling.
- Ground probing radar, Ferroscan and reinforcement surveys, plus chloride sampling.
- Post-tensioned bridge inspections: more than 200 bridges inspected since the early 1990s.
Mid and North Wales: special inspections of post-tensioned bridges for Cyngor Gwynedd, with material sampling and on-site testing, from October 2025 to March 2026.
A New Footbridge
- Intaspan
- Topbond
A footbridge at the end of its life, or a route that needs a new crossing.
- Steel and timber footbridges designed, fabricated in our own workshops and installed.
- Pedestrian, cycle, bridle and vehicle access bridges.
- Safe removal of the old structure, including post-tensioned bridges.
Berry Hill, Taplow: the failed 36.7 m central span taken out and the new one floated into place on our own pontoon and jacking towers. The footbridge reopened in June 2024.
Five specialist companies
Five Specialist Teams. One Accountable Group.
Most structures need more than one specialist. Ours already work together, so the engineers who test a structure brief the team that repairs it, and the crew that gets everyone there is ours too.
-
Topbond
Structural Repair and Refurbishment
Concrete repairs, cathodic protection, carbon fibre strengthening, bearings, parapets, steelwork and masonry for bridges, buildings and other structures, nationwide.
- Concrete Repair
- Cathodic Protection
- Bearings
- Parapets and VRS
- Ground Anchors
-
HTS · Hydra Technical Services
Survey and Testing
UKAS-accredited testing laboratory No. 1547, investigating bridges, industrial plants, jetties, car parks, schools and offices across the country.
- Half-Cell
- Cover Meter
- Cores and Dust
- GPR
- Post-Tensioned Inspection
-
Intaspan
Footbridge Design and Build
Steel and timber footbridges for walkers, cyclists, riders and vehicles, from design and fabrication in our own workshops to installation.
- Steel
- Timber
- Cycle and Bridle
- Removal
-
Broadmead
Cast Stone and Precast
Cast stone that matches what is already there, or something entirely new: balustrades, copings, cills and bespoke pieces, with units approaching 10 tonnes made at our own facilities.
- Stock Moulds
- Matching Existing
- Site Templating
- Bespoke Casting
-
Topbond Marine
Marine Construction and Plant Hire
Berths, jetties, river walls and demolition above and below the waterline, in coastal and inland waters, with our own jack-up barge, pontoons, tugs and crews.
- Charters
- Jetty Repairs
- Ship Impact Damage
- Marine Demolition
- One ConversationFrom the first survey to handover, with no gaps between specialists.
- Results That TravelTest findings go straight to the team that designs and carries out the repair.
- Our Own Plant and CrewsJack-up barge, pontoons, tugs, cranes and vacuum tankers, so access never waits on a hire company.
- Made In-HouseJoinery, steel fabrication, precast and cast stone from our own workshops.
Selected projects
Work That Couldn't Stop the Traffic, the Trains or the Tide.
A few schemes from across the group. Each one is written up in full on our case studies page.
-
Chiswick Bridge
- Where
- River Thames, London
- For
- BAM Nuttall, for TfL
- Team
- Topbond, Marine, HTS
Concrete repairs on the Grade II listed bridge: arch soffits worked tidally from a barge, with a robotic PAM breaker on a MEWP so no alkaline run-off reached the Thames.
Read the Case Study Watch the PAM at Work -
Kingston Footbridge Removal
- Where
- Kingston ring road
- Scope
- Post-tensioned removal
- Team
- Topbond
Specialist design and construction to remove a 130 t post-tensioned footbridge over a major ring road: cut into sections and lifted out in one night, beside a live rail bridge.
Structural Repair Projects -
Cowdray Avenue Railway Bridge
- Where
- Colchester, Essex
- Scope
- Parapets and concrete repair
- Team
- Topbond
Designed through early contractor involvement: complex temporary works, new like-for-like precast parapets made in-house and delaminated concrete removed, all inside a 72-hour possession.
Read the Case Study -
Berry Hill Footbridge
- Where
- Jubilee River, Taplow
- For
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Team
- Topbond, Marine
A lower chord had failed on the 36.7 m central span, around 35 t, over a 60 m wide flood relief channel. We took it out and floated the new span in on our own pontoon and jacking towers. The bridge reopened in June 2024.
Read the Case Study -
Boston Barrier
- Where
- Boston, Lincolnshire
- Scope
- Jack-up barge and crew
- Team
- Topbond Marine
Topjack and its attendant crew gave the site team a stable platform for sheet piling and excavation in a tidal river, on the Environment Agency's flood defence scheme.
Read the Case Study -
London City Airport
- Where
- King George V Dock
- Scope
- Dolphin removal, then £4.5m more
- Team
- Topbond Marine
A concrete dolphin removed beside live aircraft stands, planned in a 3D model and finished ahead of schedule. Then a further £4.5m of civils, drainage, dredging and marine support.
Read the Case Study -
Hook Underpass Footbridge
- Where
- A3, Hook
- Scope
- Footbridge replacement
- Team
- Topbond
A wider footbridge for new cycle lanes: old bridge and foundations out, new ones in, with one A3 closure for each lift and the roundabout kept open throughout.
Read the Case Study -
Erewash Bridge
- Where
- Bridge abutments
- Scope
- Concrete testing
- Team
- HTS
No vehicle access and a narrow riverbank path, so HTS tested the west abutment from a MEWP set up on the wider track opposite, with no lane closures on the road above.
Read the Case Study -
National Maritime Museum
- Where
- Greenwich, London
- Scope
- Large-scale cast stone
- Team
- Broadmead
Large bespoke cast stone made at our purpose-built facilities, the same works that produce bridge decks, staircases and units approaching 10 tonnes.
Broadmead Projects
Marine plant and charters
Our Own Fleet. Our Own Crews.
Owning the plant means we are on the water when the job needs us, not when a hire company can fit us in. Every craft comes with dedicated, fully trained and ticketed operators, on our projects or chartered to yours.
- Topjack Jack-Up Barge
- 250 t · 36 m legs · 24.4 × 17.1 m
- Mariner
- 80 t
- Toplander Landing Craft
- 22 m · steel
- Freya and Odin Schottel Tugs
- Shallow draft · PLA Cat C
- Linkflote Pontoons
- 9.5 t load each · PLA Cat C
- Uniflotes, NATO Floats and Plastic Pontoons
- Road transportable
- Liebherr LR1130 Crawler Crane
- Barge or land based
- PAM Robotic Breaker
- No hand-arm vibration
Plus multicats, assault craft and safety boats on the water, and on the road our own C120 Flexline vacuum tankers, Scania grab units and a Scania G460XT.
Sectors
Wherever the Structure Is.
The same specialists work in eleven sectors, from live airfields and top-tier COMAH sites to listed bridges and private homes.
- 01Highway StructuresConcrete bridge repair, strengthening and refurbishment, carriageway repairs and FRP strengthening.
- 02RailBridge repairs, anchoring, investigations and station buildings, by PTS-trained teams who plan out overruns.
- 03MarineJetties, quays, fendering, piling and bridge refurbishment in tidal and non-tidal waters.
- 04InfrastructureDrainage, ITS, major highway reconstruction, culverts and bridges, part of the business since 1975.
- 05PowerNuclear, liquid fuel, LNG and LPG sites, including live top-tier COMAH facilities.
- 06AviationAirside and landside work, with dedicated airside pass holders at London City Airport.
- 07HeritageListed bridges, stately homes and cathedrals, from new balusters to anchoring at Lincoln Castle and Tilbury Fort.
- 08Luxury ResidentialCast stone inside and out, from period grandeur to clean modern detailing.
- 09Public BuildingsEmbassies, town halls, libraries, universities, schools and hospitals.
- 10Retail and CommercialShops, hotels and offices, working at night when a building has to keep trading.
- 11Public RealmBespoke cast stone benches, signs, retaining walls and features such as bandstands.
- Not Sure Where You Fit?Tell us about the structure and we will put the right people on it.
Accreditations and safety
Audited, Accredited and Ready for Your Site.
- 1UKAS Testing Laboratory No. 1547HTS is accredited to ISO 17025:2017 for half-cell, cover meter and resistivity surveys, carbonation depth, continuity, and dust and core sampling.
- 2ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001Integrated quality, environmental and health and safety management, certified through NQA.
- 3BS EN 1090, Execution Class 3Certified fabrication from our own workshops.
- 4Rail, Utilities and Supply Chain SchemesRISQS, Achilles UVDB Verify and Building Confidence, Constructionline Gold, CHAS, SMAS Worksafe and Avetta.
- 5Trained for the EnvironmentPTS, IPAF, PASMA, RYA, National Water Safety Management Programme and confined space trained teams, a FORS Bronze road fleet, and approved Platipus anchor installers for more than 20 years.
Members Of
- Concrete Repair Association
- UK Cast Stone Association (Broadmead, Full Member F102)
- Corrosion Prevention Association
- The Concrete Society
Our Policies
Since 1975
Fifty Years of Difficult Jobs, Done Properly.
Topbond started out in 1975 and highways work has been part of the business ever since. Today the group runs from a head office on Oyster Quay in Sittingbourne and a regional office in Ipswich, with its own laboratory, workshops, cast stone works and fleet.
Every contract receives the same care and commitment from a dedicated team.
- 1975Topbond PLC is incorporated on 18 March 1975. Highways work has been part of the business from the start.
- Early 1990sHTS trains on the TRL course for inspecting post-tensioned bridges. It has inspected more than 200 since.
- 2018Topjack works the tidal Boston Barrier, the Environment Agency's flood defence scheme.
- 2024Berry Hill footbridge reopens, its new 36.7 m span floated in on our own pontoon.
- 2025Fifty years in business, and post-tensioned bridge inspections across Mid and North Wales for Cyngor Gwynedd.
Careers
Our People Are the Foundations.
It is the expertise, commitment and talent of our teams that set Topbond apart, from engineers and testers to marine crews and stonemasons. We work hard to recruit, develop and keep good people.
- PTS
- IPAF
- PASMA
- RYA
- Confined Space
- National Water Safety
No vacancies are listed right now, but we are always glad to hear from good people.
Send Us Your CV Careers at TopbondQuestions
Good Questions, Straight Answers.
The things clients most often ask before they bring us in. Anything else, call 01795 414050.
Do you work outside Kent and Suffolk?
Yes. We work nationwide from our head office at Oyster Quay in Sittingbourne, Kent and our regional office in Ipswich, Suffolk. Our structural repair and our survey and testing services both cover the whole of the UK.
Which of your tests are UKAS accredited?
HTS, our survey and testing division, is UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 1547 under ISO 17025:2017 for half-cell surveys, cover meter surveys, resistivity surveys, carbonation depth measurement, reinforcement continuity, and concrete dust and core sampling. UKAS publishes the current schedule of accredited tests.
Can you work on structures that have to stay open?
Most of our work is on live roads, railways, ports and airfields, so we plan around possessions, night closures and tides. We have removed a 130 t footbridge in one night beside a live railway, replaced bridge parapets within a 72-hour rail possession and worked airside at London City Airport, where our team holds airside passes.
Do you hire out marine plant?
Yes. Topjack, our 250 t jack-up barge, an 80 t Mariner, Uniflotes, Linkflotes, NATO floats, plastic pontoons, tugs and safety boats are all available for charter, always with our own trained and ticketed operators. Tell us the job and the location and we will put the package together.
Can Broadmead match our existing stonework?
That is a large part of what Broadmead does. The team surveys and templates the existing stone on site, matches the colour and finish from a wide range of standard mixes or a bespoke one, makes the new units from stock or new moulds and can fix them on site.
Do you design footbridges, or only install them?
Both. Intaspan offers a complete design and build service for steel and timber footbridges: we work with your design team, fabricate in our own joinery and fabrication workshops and install on site. We also remove old footbridges safely, including post-tensioned ones.
Are you on any frameworks?
Yes. Topbond works on long-standing highways frameworks for local and national authorities, including Essex County Council and Transport for Buckinghamshire, and across several highway frameworks that call for planned and reactive repairs.
What do you need from us to price a job?
A short description of the structure and the problem, where it is, any access or closure limits and your timescale. Drawings, photos or an inspection report all help. Use the form below or call 01795 414050 and the right specialist will pick it up.
Start a project
Tell Us About the Structure.
Send a few details and the right specialist will come back to you. Prefer to talk it through? Call the head office.