The Competition & Markets Authority has confirmed it is investigating suspected anti-competitive arrangements but has not specified the industry sector or scale of the inquiry.

A spokeswoman said: “Investigations are at an early stage and we are unable to provide any more detail as part of the fact-finding phase of inquiries.”

Information gathering is expected to run to September of this year.

Ten years ago, in what turned out to be one of the biggest bid-rigging scandals to hit the UK, 103 construction firms were fined £63m after widespread cover pricing was revealed. That same year, six recruitment agencies in the industry were fined a total of £7.9m for collusion and price fixing.

Last year the CMA revealed it would be targetting construction in a fresh crackdown on cartels.

The government has handed its fair trade watchdog an extra £2.8m specifically for its crusade.

And last month this saw five south east fit-out contractors fined a total of £7m after admitting being involved in cover pricing.

At the start of the year, another CMA probe saw two concrete drainage products producers admit to breaking competition laws by taking part in a cartel.

The products were used in large infrastructure projects across Great Britain, including water management, roads and railways.