GAP Group, the Glasgow-based plant hire company, yesterday announced a near doubling of its annual pre-tax profits to #1.96m and unveiled ambitious expansion plans.

The jump in profits from the previous year's #1.02m was made possible by a bounce-back in the family-owned company's Scottish operations during the 12 months to March 31.

These had plunged from a #600,000 profit to a #100,000 loss in the previous financial year, largely because of the dearth of council contracts caused by local government reorganisation.

The Scottish depots turned in a #700,000 profit in the latest period.

Nick Kuenssberg, the former Dawson International managing director who became non-executive chairman of GAP nearly two years ago, also highlighted a saving of about 5% on plant purchases through centralised buying and tougher negotiating.

GAP is focused on hiring smaller unmanned plant and tools, from half-inch drills to compressors.

It bought #6.9m worth of plant in the year to March, so the saving would have been about #350,000.

GAP's turnover rose from #13.36m to #17.99m on the back of organic growth and acquisitions, which have taken the number of depots to 30. There are 10 depots in GAP's Scottish division, which includes one in Carlisle.

The company, which emphasised its intention to remain independent, yesterday outlined plans to open another 20 depots by 2003 and to more than double turnover to #40m during that time.

Douglas Anderson, who runs GAP with brother Iain, said this turnover target would be achieved if the 15% per annum compound growth rate enjoyed in the last 14 years was maintained.

Meanwhile, Kuenssberg has high hopes for the land decontamination subsidiary Bio-logic Remediation.

In December, GAP stepped in with #500,000 for the struggling Bio-logic and took a 51% stake in it. GAP now supplies and maintains the specialist plant which Bio-logic requires to pump cocktails of fungi and bacteria into contaminated soil to kill pollutants.

Kuenssberg said yesterday that he had come across Bio-logic because of his involvement in Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar's committee on sustainable development. Bio-logic has held meetings with Environment Minister Michael Meacher and the Environment Agency for England and Wales to try to persuade them that ''bioremediation'' was a better option than dumping topsoil from contaminated sites in landfill.

Kuenssberg argued yesterday that it was preferable because it did not involve lorries thundering through the countryside or payment of landfill tax, and the soil was retained.

Kuenssberg said that Bio-logic had lost contracts worth about #500,000 and #400,000 in Yorkshire and Kent because of the opposition to bioremediation methods.

Douglas Anderson cited the potential for Bio-logic in the context of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's desire to see 60% of development on brownfield rather than greenfield sites.

Asked if GAP might eventually float on the Stock Exchange, Douglas Anderson said: ''Never say never, but not for the foreseeable future.''

Meanwhile, Iain Anderson revealed that much-larger Glasgow-based competitor Hewden Stuart had asked them to speak to it if they ever decided to sell.