Wood for fences is in short supply
GARDENERS are struggling to buy fences at the height of the DIY season because Britain’s timber supplies are being shipped to China and Dubai.
They are being warned of a “dire timber shortage” as wood is used in construction booms abroad.
Some DIY enthusiasts have driven hundreds of miles to grab any available timber only to return empty-handed. And even those who find fencing are being forced to pay through the nose for it.
Prices have rocketed by up to 40 per cent as demand surges, and small timber businesses could face ruin unless the situation changes.
The problem has worsened since January, when a series of devastating storms ripped through thousands of garden fences, prompting a flurry of orders at supply outlets.
The Fencing Contractors Associa-tion said European timber producers had been exporting timber usually sent to Britain, to China and Dubai where there is unprecedented demand for a record level of construction projects.
The developing countries are prepared to pay much more for the supplies, leaving Britons out in the cold.
FCA chief executive, Wendy Baker, said: “Several small to medium sized companies across the UK are unable to meet orders and are on the verge of ruin. I have had complaints from mills who can’t source timber and from contractors who can’t get hold of timber materials.”
Editor of industry publication Timber Trades Journal, Mike Jeffree, said: “The industrial boom in China is having a huge impact on the consumption of softwood.”
Businesses relying on timber are suffering, and have resorted to bargaining at docks when supplies come in and even rationing.
a UK-wide company Forest Gardens, which supplies to DIY and gardening stores, has a backlog of 25,000 fencing orders and is capping all requests.
“We only have 20 per cent of our normal stock, and while we usually get an articulated truckload every week, we’ve only had half a load in the last five weeks,” a spokeswoman said.
Industry supplier Travis Perkins said demand for fencing panels was up threefold on last year.
Spokesman Duncan Gallagher said: “We’ve noticed an increase in demand from our trade customers of about 300 per cent.
“This was caused by the national impact of the storms that hit the country in January.”