黑洞社区

The UK鈥檚 biggest brick manufacturers are closing their facilities as part of the coronavirus lockdown. They say there are millions of spare bricks already produced and in stock. 

The Brick Development Association (BDA) has confirmed that manufacturers across the country are responding to Boris Johnson鈥檚 instruction that only essential services be kept open by suspending their manufacturing facilities.

BDA member manufacturers produce 80% of the clay bricks used in the UK鈥檚 built environment each year.

While safeguarding measures, including the use of personal protective equipment and appropriate social and work-related distancing protocols, were already in place, the manufacture of clay bricks could not be considered an essential service, the association said.

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The BDA said it had been advised that firms were beginning to wind up production and it expects deliveries to slow down and then cease.

Keith Aldis, the BDA chief executive, said: 鈥淲ith approximately 400 million bricks currently in stock in the UK, the industry has capacity to begin supplying the market again as soon as quarantine restrictions are eased.鈥�

The news comes as the number of firms closing their sites continues to mount, despite government advice that construction can continue.

Sir Robert McAlpine and Persimmon are among the latest firms to shut their sites. Multiplex was the first tier 1 firm to confirm it would stop work yesterday afternoon.

People are still turning up for work on sites despite concerns for their safety and workers鈥� relatives are pleading for them to be closed. They are also asking for help for those who will now struggle financially.

Many workers and their families have contacted 黑洞社区, while others have taken to social media to share their fears and concerns, both from a health and financial perspective.