Bricklayers Earn £100,000 Wage on UK Housing Market Booms

Construction workers are earning six-figure salaries as the UK's building sector booms.

Mark Farmer, a property consultant at EC Harris, told the Sun that builders could command such high salaries because of a manpower shortage.

"During the recession, bricklayer day rates fell by up to 50% as work dried up," Farmer said.

"We are now experiencing a massive rebound as demand outstrips availability of the very best tradesmen.

"Day rates in London are up to £150-£200 ($334, €242) a day [now] and those that are particularly experienced and industrious, laying up to 1,000 bricks a day can earn the equivalent of £100,000 a year."

The average total weekly wage is £479 in the UK.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently revealed that house prices have continued to accelerate as they increased by 6.8% in January compared with a year earlier.

Prices are up from 5.5% in December 2013.

The government will be boosted on the news after the introduction of its Help to Buy scheme, which makes it possible to purchase a new or existing home with just a 5% deposit.

The news comes after the chancellor George Osborne unveiled plans to build 200,000 homes and pledged £500m of finance to small housebuilding firms.