Research by workwear specialist Alexandra shows Britain’s builders are growing quicker than workers in other industries.

The survey did not reveal whether construction workers are eating too much and getting fatter or seeing their muscles swell due to physical labour on site.

But the company has reported a growing demand for larger clothing for builders with the average chest size order increasing by five inches over recent years.

David Harmer, Category Manager at Alexandra said: “The needs of our clients are constantly changing, and we consistently adapt our products to fit our clients’ specifications.

“We’ve added new features to our boiler suits and other workwear that will provide added benefits and comfort to all our users, whether they are wearing the smallest or the largest size available.”

Julie Aughton, Marketing Manager at Snickers workwear, added: “Over the past 10 years an increase in individuals size and weight has been well documented in the UK and to a certain extent this has been evident in the workwear market.

“As part of our design ethos we look at workwear as a solutions based item, from this perspective we have increased the generosity of fit to accommodate workers while retaining effective ergonomic design and practicality.”