Bricks and roof tiles are in short supply with demand outstripping supply against a backdrop of rising inflation, the Construction Leadership Council, CLC, has warned.
Imports of bricks from the EU and globally are set to continue until three new UK brickmaking plants come on stream next year and in 2024. The new factories are predicted to boost UK annual capacity by about 150m bricks per year.
The CLC’s product availability group co-chairs John Newcomb and Peter Caplehorn said: “We continue to stress the importance of maintaining open lines of communication throughout the supply chain and encourage all sectors to continue to work closely and collaboratively to manage challenges and plan future work.”
Aerated concrete blocks, steel lintels, manhole covers, plastic drainage products, sealants, coatings and paints are also hard to come by.
Lack of semi-conductors is constraining boiler supply at a time of high demand although the CLC said insufficient supplies were not due to chip shortages.
However, the product availability group said there were relatively good stocks of other prices and reported timber prices have fallen from their peak in May 2021.
