Construction giant, Kier, has reported strong gains for its support services division, despite worries about the credit crunch. In an interim management statement, the firm said that while market conditions had ‘deteriorated' for its homes and property section, both the construction and support services divisions continued to do well. The company announced its building maintenance sector was recently appointed as preferred bidder for East Durham Homes to carry out Decent Homes work on 3,500 houses in Peterlee. The Durham contract is expected to be worth £6.5m a year over four years. Kier said it had a ‘strong pipeline' of further contracts which it was currently bidding for. These deals included a 10-year contract with North Tyneside MBC, which would be worth £60m a year. The company also said it was making good progress in advancing the Kent Building Schools for the Future project towards a financial close. The company said in a statement: ‘While the markets for our homes and property developments have continued to deteriorate, Kier's strength is in its diversity which allows us to benefit from those markets which remain sound.'