Another £270m of government money is to be invested in affordable housing, as two major housebuilders announce the loss of 1900 jobs.

An eco-room that brings together all the newest ideas to build a greener lifestyle has been launched by Buildbase, the UK mixed builders merchant arm of the Irish Grafton Group.

Wolseley shares took another tumble today, taking Travis Perkins' and Marshalls' share prices with them.

The housebuilders' pain is being refelected by the building material suppliers whose drop off in sales mirrors that of the housebuilding industry.

Cement manufacturers Lafarge Cement UK have been fined £200,000 following an accident in which a quarry worker lost an ear.

The Kamera series of powered flue wall heaters from gas fire specialists DRU Verwarming are heavy duty for commercial use.

Carl Kammerling, the security specialists have launched the robust Kasp 117 Series Heavy Duty Combination Padlock which protects against brutal attack methods thanks to a hardened steel shackle and tough lock body.

Hanson Building Products have invested in new shrink wrapping for their Thermalite range of aircrete blocks.

Marley Eternit have made their popular Hydropanel internal partition board available in a smaller, lighter, one-man size.

Spanish bathroom brand Roca have added a new range of contemporary, square shaped basins to complement their existing Senso range and meet consumer demand for square shapes in the bathroom.

The New FKS 115 Circular Saw Guide Rail is the ideal accessory for cutting kitchen worktops and doors to size. Gives a precise, straight cut.

An extensive collection of doormats has been added to the growing range of homewares offered by Specialist Group.

Stakapal's Cantilever Racking is commonly utilised in Builders Merchants yards and warehouse areas for storing long loads such as timber and boards or UPVC extrusions.

New business does not always means new suppliers.

Abranet dust free sanding has won Silver in the Hand Tools category at the DIY Week 2008 Industry awards. Now in their 21st year, these prestigious awards celebrate the cream of the year's innovative new products in the diy, hardware and housewares industries.