Meanwhile Kremer Signs, the market-leading boards manufacturer, has laid off 26 of its 64-strong workforce and says monthly production is down by almost 20,000 boards a month – and by 30,000 from peak.

It's peak? 80,000 boards a month. And just to show how bad things are, those figures include a 100% increase in demand for to let boards. It sounds like a mixture of estate agencies going down, and estate agents choosing to re-use tatty boards rather than order fresh ones. Good news for trees, though, I guess.

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