THE outsourcing company responsible for the Poole Bridge refurbishment fell deeper into the red as its chairman bemoaned “self-inflicted mistakes of the past”.

The group saw losses more than double to £244.4million in 2017 in a tumultuous period that has seen the company warn over profits and seek emergency financing.

It compares with a £94.1m loss in 2016.

Chairman Glyn Baker said: “Interserve has suffered unprecedented levels of disruption and faced a number of significant challenges.

“The company was affected by general market headwinds and external events; however much of this resulted from self-inflicted mistakes of the past.

“The resulting stress and uncertainty have led to anxiety amongst our staff, suppliers and customers and significant loss of value for our shareholders from the fall in our share price.”

Revenue was broadly flat at £3.25billion.

Interserve holds several government contracts and employs 80,000.