A BOLTON firm has landed a multi-million pound contract - to put the roof on Parliament's prestigious new building for MPs. Lostock-based Watson Steel beat off bidders to land the job to top the spectacular office base in Westminster. The £250 million building, currently under construction a stone's throw from the house of Commons, will house conference facilities and 200 offices for MPs.

But Watson's job will be to put a complex turret-style roof on the seven-storey base to ensure it remains in keeping with surroundings steeped in history.

The firm, which employs 650 people in the Bolton area and provided steel for the massive 100,000 square metre Millennium Dome roof, spent THREE years working on an intricate design.

Company bosses today revealed that the Westminster contract was worth a massive eight figure sum.

But, ironically, Watson's - famed for its steelwork - will make the roof out of an expensive aluminium-bronze alloy designed to combat corrosion for centuries.

Spokesman Geoffrey Taylor said: "This is a very exciting time for us and another major coup."

Watson's are due on site soon to start work on the Bridge Street building, to be named Portcullis House, which is being built to ease cramped office conditions for MPs.

Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly, who could be housed in the new offices, was delighted one of her constituent companies was doing so well.

"This is a real feather in the cap of Bolton and the firm," she said.

The Westminster contract follows a string of prestigious jobs for Watson's, which is part of construction giant AMEC.

The firm pulled off a coup by providing steel for the massive Millennium Dome roof in Greenwich in an £11 million contract.

The company has also just completed work on a new grandstand at Lords - the recognised world Mecca for cricket.

Materials for the futuristic Reebok Stadium roof also came from Watson's and the firm will soon be involved in the construction of Wigan Rugby League Club's new Robin Park ground.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.