The continuing shortage of building materials in the UK has increased the pressure on UK construction projects, with timber, steel, paints, and cement all being hard to find.

According to BBC News, the Construction Leadership Council has stated that the lack of certain electrical supplies has been down to ‘unprecedented levels of demand’. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has reported that building firms have needed to delay projects, and some smaller firms have had to close down.

The price of construction supplies has soared, which has led to the public being advised to delay their home improvement projects until later in the year to help ease the demand for scarce materials.

The Office for National Statistics has estimated a rise of 7-8 per cent in material prices, with prices for timber, expected to more than double during the year.

Several factors have been the cause of the supply issues of materials, as well as high levels of demand. Factories closures during the pandemic caused delays to supply chains, but the weather has also impacted supplies.

A mild winter has impacted timber production in Scandinavia, and the unprecedented cold winter in Texas has affected the supplies of chemicals, plastics, and polymers. There have also been issues with Brexit, as 80 per cent of softwood imports are from the EU.

A shortage of empty shipping containers has increased shipping costs.

David Hopkins, chief executive of the Timber Trade Federation, said“customers may not be able to purchase timber as readily off the shelves as they have been used to”.

He added that sawmills in Europe traditionally ‘enter a period of shut-down for repair, maintenance and holidays in June and July, and this will keep supply tight’.

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