The move comes as giants like Jewson and Travis Perkins seek urgent advice from the Government over whether they are essential outlets in the current lockdown.

One construction buyer said: “Obviously if this continues then sites will come to a standstill.”

But Wolseley was still open on Tuesday for “essential” trade orders.

Jewson said:  “This closure will be in effect for 24 hours on Tuesday 24^th March while we seek urgent clarification from the UK Government about how we can operate our business within the Government guidelines.

“We want to play our part in helping the country overcome this crisis. We have been doing this by taking steps to protect our people from the risk of the virus.

“We also do this by helping our customers provide essential maintenance of homes and public buildings, helping self-employed customers stay in business and by providing essential livelihoods for all our colleagues.”

Travis Perkins said: “We can confirm that our branches are temporarily closed and we have stopped taking online orders.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused during these extraordinary times but the wellbeing of our colleagues, customers and suppliers is our absolute priority.

“We will be seeking to work with the Government over the coming days as to how we can fulfil the essential services that we provide to our country’s social infrastructure.”

Wolseley said: “We are assessing what this means for our branches, given they help to keep essential services, such as supermarkets, homes and hospitals going. In the meantime, our trade counter doors will not be open today.

“Essential orders can be collected but please call ahead for collection and follow the social distancing guidance on the branch door.”

Roofing and cladding specialist Southern Sheeting said: “We are still delivering products and if customers wish to reschedule, we will do so without penalties. Our key product lines remain available to purchase via our ecommerce sites.

“We would like to ask customers to please order 24 hours in advance so that we can have orders waiting on collection which will provide quicker turnaround times.”