News
LDC-backed Stonbury expands engineering capabilities with acquisition of MTS
4 Nov 2026
Stonbury, the leading UK water and environmental sustainability specialist, has acquired MEICA Technical Services (MTS) to further diversify its service offering, bring 30 skilled employees into the business and further broaden its UK footprint.
The transaction marks the second acquisition Stonbury has completed in two weeks, following the acquisition of arboricultural and environmental services specialist, Thompsons Group.
Headquartered in Bedfordshire, Stonbury delivers innovative, low-carbon solutions to maintain, repair and refurbish critical water assets – from drinking water provision to wastewater treatment. The business also delivers nature-based solutions including river restoration and natural flood management.
Since December 2022, private equity investor LDC has supported Stonbury’s expansion across wastewater, environment and technology services. The acquisition of MTS represents the latest step in the business’ ongoing buy and build strategy and follows a new round of investment from LDC and new minority co-investor Federated Hermes in September 2026.
MTS is an Oxford-based specialist delivering turnkey solutions for Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control, and Automation (MEICA) projects nationwide, with a primary focus on electrical solutions. They provide end-to-end services including design, engineering, installation, testing and commissioning for the water and utilities sectors.
The acquisition strengthens Stonbury’s capability to deliver integrated environmental solutions to its customers. All employees, including MTS co-founders Steve and Clare Stone, will remain with Stonbury and are committed to supporting its continuing growth journey.
Colin Perry-Davis, CEO of Stonbury, said: “MTS is a business we’ve admired for some time and we’re excited to welcome Steve, Clare and their talented team to Stonbury. They have built an outstanding reputation for technical excellence and client service and we’re looking forward to combining our strengths to support customers across an even wider range of water and environmental infrastructure projects.”
Their extensive MEICA engineering expertise will further diversify our offering and their strong client relationships across sectors will further strengthen our market position."
Steve Stone, Managing Director at MTS, added: “From our first conversations, it was clear that MTS and Stonbury share a commitment to technical excellence and sustainable solutions, and Stonbury’s scale and resources will create new opportunities for our team. We’re looking forward to contributing our expertise to a business that’s reshaping how the UK manages its critical water and environmental infrastructure.”
David Bains, Partner and Head of East Midlands and East of England at LDC, added: “Stonbury has evolved significantly over the last few years, expanding its capabilities and range of services. The addition of MTS further strengthens its customer proposition, bringing highly complementary engineering expertise and enhancing the group’s ability to support complex infrastructure projects across the water sector. We’re pleased to support Colin and the team as they continue to build a more diversified business.”
Stonbury and LDC were advised by Provantage Corporate Finance, Howes Percival and RSM UK Consulting,
MTS was advised by RWK Goodman, Watersheds and The Academy Partnership.