Brick kilns will keep fired up over Christmas for the first time in years because of the rise in demand for new homes created by the Help to Buy scheme.
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins said Help to Buy had delivered a surge of business to the construction sector.
Visiting a new brick factory in Chesterton, Staffs, which has created 51 jobs, Hopkins said the impact of the scheme will keep kilns fired up over the festive period for the first time since 2007.
The brick industry is having to ramp up production dramatically after several slow years since the crash in 2008. Developers now have to cope with a shortage of all types of building materials, including bricks, and long lead times.
As a result, brick makers are staying open over the Christmas period to catch up with demand.
By the end of July deliveries of new bricks were up 12% on the previous year, more than reversing a 12% fall in the year to March.
The factory in Chesterton is owned by Ibstock Brick, the UK’s largest brick maker with 20 factories across the country. Burgeoning demand has also prompted Ibstock to reopen a mothballed factory in Leicester closed since 2008.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said: “Help to Buy is driving a big increase in house building activity.
“If people can buy, builders will build. Existing sites are being built out quicker and developers are looking to start on new ones sooner.
“As a result there is an increased demand for labour and materials and we are seeing the supply chain respond. The increase in house building activity is creating jobs both directly on site and indirectly in the supply chain.”
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