Bricks a’plenty

It would take 64 years to count the number of bricks delivered to UK building sites in 2017.

That’s how long it takes to count to two billion and the latest production figures from the Office for National Statistics show that over two billion bricks were delivered during 2017 – the first time that the two billion figure has been reached since 2007.

In that year, considered to be the peak of recent housebuilding, 185,523 houses were completed. In 2017, housing completions were reportedly up to 147,278, a rise of 5% over the previous year, but not approaching the 2007 figure.

The Brick Development Association (BDA) spokesman, Tom Farmer, said: “The brick industry has really responded to the growing demand from builders.

“Manufacturers are clearly able to deliver the volume required to meet current housebuilding demands, with the capacity to cope with increased numbers too.

“The challenge faced by the distribution chain now, is to manage ordering and supply. The UK brick industry produces hundreds of different brick types and the manufacturing process needs to be managed. Few people would expect to order a specific car model and see it delivered the next day, and the same can apply to brick manufacturing.”

Brick production figures have reportedly risen sharply over recent years as manufacturers have re-opened suspended plants, increased the output from existing plants and opened new facilities.