Many UK brick production facilities were mothballed or scaled back after the last recession hit and were unprepared for the upsurge in demand from house-builders in 2013 and 2014 when it came.

Latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics show brick production in the UK has now responded, with close to a billion bricks made in the UK in the first six months of 2015.

Brick Development Association chief executive Simon Hay said: “The brick industry has reacted swiftly in order to meet new demand by increasing brick production by nearly 7% in comparison to the same period in 2014, a tremendous effort by a capital-intensive industry.

“Stock levels have also grown to nearly 450 million, a 33% rise in comparison to the stock levels at the first half of 2014, meaning choice in brick is now possible with reasonable lead in times.”

However, delivery lead in times can still have an impact on project timescales, and will need to be considered in planning your project.