A construction boss has explained how inflation and international events have resulted in rapidly rising costs for housebuilding. DITT Construction Ltd’s managing director John Tait spoke to The Shetland Times after it emerged the cost of building a two-storey home in Lerwick had exceeded £365,000. Mr Tait said world events and politics in recent years had an “adverse effect” on the construction industry. The UK government’s Department for Business and Trade published new figures last week showing that construction material costs have increased sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic. Image: Hjaltland Housing Association/PJP Architects LLPSo construction firms like his “must contend with the additional costs that entails”.