Construction sites have been granted permission to remain open at night and on weekends to help fight coronavirus ' impact on the UK economy, according to reports.
A government source has told The Sunday Telegraph ministers are set to allow firms to override off-peak noise laws to help them get on top of halted work.
It comes after a report allegedly told ministers the first stages of re-opening the economy should look at sectors with the "greatest multiplier effects with minimum risks".
Coffee shops and restaurants were initially earmarked due to their potential for supporting agriculture, while the property market was another sector with a "wide" impact.
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Construction sites had largely closed down on March 23 along with the rest of the country after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a lockdown to help curb the spread of the deadly virus.
The source claimed this is in the hope of avoiding repeating the 2008 financial crash, which saw small building firms struck hard and many "never recovered".
What's more, concern is growing among sub-contractors that their work agreements may be quashed due to common clauses that if work is stopped for two months a contract can be legally nulled.
On Thursday, as part of its first-quarter trading statement, Taylor Wimpey announced its UK sites outside Scotland will begin the first phase of re-opening on May 4.
Brickies and other site workers were left confused last month after the government failed to make clear if they were required to continue working, despite the lockdown.
On March 24, Cabinet minister Michael Gove said builders should still be going to work if in a setting that’s appropriate to stay two metres away from colleagues.
However, the majority of sites opted to shut down due to supply problems and workers having to isolate due to having developed virus symptoms or living with someone who had.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Friday certain businesses that have recently decided to begin trading again amid the pandemic were "never required to close" in the first place.
