Dearth of DIY goods thanks to lockdown

A DIY boom prompted by the lockdown has triggered a shortage of paving slabs, fence panels and bags of plaster and cement.

With more than nine million workers furloughed during the coronavirus pandemic and others spending more time at home, there has been plenty of opportunity to tackle that list of home improvements.

John Newcomb, chief executive of the Builders Merchants Federation, said: “I wouldn’t say plaster is the toilet roll of the building materials industry, but it’s probably not far off.”

Factories have been unable to keep up with the increased demand, particularly for Indian sandstone paving which has seen a rise of 250 per cent.

Plaster makers are optimistic that levels will normalise by the end of next month.

Homebase said its timber sales had doubled since last year and reported higher demand for insulation, loft ladders and loft boards as people created makeshift home offices or added additional storage.

Arnhem Bridge in the war; scene of heroism by, inset, Captain Bernard Briggs Dix Noonan Webb. Oliver Pepys, from the auctioneer, said: “Although the battle ended in defeat, their heroism was exceptional.” Capt Briggs died in 1989, aged 75.