The rise in demand comes as contractors battle to keep sites infection free during the second wave of the pandemic.

Tunnels designed by personal protection firm Gateway in association with ppac19 have now been installed across the Battersea Power Station site by McAlpine while BAM, Wates and Morgan Sindall are also using them on jobs.

Site workers have their temperatures checked before being sprayed from head to foot with a cloud of non-toxic sanitiser which neautralises the virus on clothes or exposed skin.

A Battersea source said: “The temperature and spray units have been hugely successful and well received.

“We have several thousand workers go through them every day.”

The units costs from around £12,000 and are also being used in other sectors like care homes and football clubs.

Gateway spokesman Grant Taylor said: “A growing number of contractors are looking at personal protective tunnels to help keep their site workers safe.

“The cost of closing down sites due to infection can be huge so minimising the risks like this is a sound investment.”