Construction start-up rates 'are booming'Construction start-up rates 'are booming'
There has been a boom in the number of Britons who have started their own construction companies as the UK's obsession with property continues.
Barclays has revealed a six per cent rise in the number of new construction firms in the past three months, with London and Wales leading the way.
Around 17,500 construction businesses were set up in the first quarter of 2007, compared with the average quarterly figure of 13,200.
John Davis, marketing director for local business at Barclays, explained: "The British public have always been big DIYers with a record £10.7 billion spent last year.
"But now many of these same people are taking that interest and turning it into a business, whether they are plasterers or property developers."
Barclays' figures follow calls for the government to build 210,000 new affordable houses over the next three years.
Last month, the Chartered Institute of Housing said the government needs to invest more than £11 billion in construction.