More Britons are turning to plumbing as an alternative career, according to new figures.

Training group Building Trade Skills Centres has revealed that more than 1,000 people a week are calling a helpline for prospective plumbers, as concerned employees turn to a trade normally resistant to a downturn in the economy.

Allen Jackson, managing director at Building Trade Skills Centres, told Metro newspaper: “No matter how much technology affects other industries, we will always need plumbers.”