Ibstock plans to bring back factory staff from Monday 27th April for a phased reopening of some factories.

Ibstock says it intends to introduce enhanced protocols to ensure compliance with social distancing, hygiene and current Covid-19 guidelines.

Ibstock Bricks Leicestershire headquarters

All sites will undergo a “safe-start” session before operations can begin, to support these ongoing protective measures.

Joe Hudson, Ibstock’s chief executive, said: “It’s at times like this that the relationships which we have with our customers and across the supply chain demonstrate their most significant value and increase the combined strength of all our businesses.”

He added: “Over the last 18 months Ibstock has invested significantly in the reliability and capacity of our assets.

“As a result, we have good stock levels and are confident that by working together with our partners we can continue to meet customer needs through this restart period.

“We have continued to despatch product for essential projects and have done this in a safe and effective way.

“With enquiries increasing, our commercial teams are available and continue to work remotely to process orders and payments and to respond to questions as required.”