Backing for ban on wolf whistles.

Byline: By Andy Hutson BUSINESS EDITOR

THE boss of a Coventry construction group has backed a ban on brickies wolf-whistling at women.

Clive Benfield, chairman of the KB Benfield Group which includes Benfield Homes, Fletcher Homes and Benfield Construction, said it was totally outdated.

He said: "I totally agree that wolf-whistling on a building site is outdated.

"It comes from a stereotypical image of the construction industry that we as a company and many others have left behind. I am very confident that those working on our developments wouldn't do it anyway.

"This practice is already banned on our sites as we are a member of the Considerate Constructors Scheme which was set up about 10 years ago to improve the image of the construction industry.

"All of our sites are registered and checked for compliance under the scheme and there is a poster and telephone number displayed prominently."

Mr Benfield's comments came after building firm George Wimpey Bristol outlawed the custom of builders whistling at women walking past the site, for fear of putting off "savvy and sophisticated" buyers visiting sites. It said the ruling applied only to its Bristol sites, but did not rule out extending it nationwide.

Mr Benfield added: "Construction sites have not lost their character and there is still a very good atmosphere among the people that work on-site.

"But we have had to modernise too and as a Considerate Constructor that has meant ensuring we are seen as a positive addition to the community.

"That means being clean and tidy in and around our sites and it also means that we have respect for all those people who live in or visit the area. That includes no wolf-whistling, no noisy radios and no mud on the road.

"This is a policy we have operated for many years now and, in the past, have won awards for the way we conduct ourselves on site."

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CHANGING TIMES... George Benfield (below) has backed a ban on builders whistling at women who walk past.