The masonry products giant said: “In order to de-risk the £27m Wilnecote brick factory refurbishment project, in response to the global supply chain issues limiting the availability of semi-conductors and chips used in the robotic equipment, we have delayed the commencement of the project and temporary closure of the factory by three months.

“The factory is now expected to close at the end of September 2022 rather than at the end of June 2022, with the duration of the project remaining unchanged and the factory due to close for a 12-month period.”

The refurbished factory will produce a wider range of high-end bricks for commercial and specification markets. 

The news was announced in a trading update which confirmed recent price hikes in brick prices of 12% on April 1 and 16% in January.