Could robots be the solution to the housing crisis?

An Oxfordshire building company has turned to robots in an attempt to help tackle the housing crisis.

Donaldson Timer Systems (DTS), in Witney, added eight giant robots to its factory at a cost of £10m.

The machines are used to turn timber planks into fully formed walls, floors and ceilings, which can then be taken to building sites an put in place.

Alex Goodfellow, the chief executive officer of DTS, said the robots "help get more built, more efficiently, to a higher quality".

"What's special about this site here in Witney is we've invested heavily in technology, automation, robotics, and we're employing a lot of people to help us do that," he told the BBC.

"We believe we've got a solution to skill, to quality, to the availability and capacity, but to do it in a safe and sustainable way."

Alex Goodfellow said the robots "help get more built"

The housing sector will soon be subject to the Future Homes Standard, raising the environmental credentials of new build houses and making them cheaper to run.

This includes upgrading heating and hot water systems and changing construction materials.

"Timber is the planet's most sustainable building material. People are building more in timber than in concrete and steel and high energy and high carbon products," Mr Goodfellow said.

"We believe it's the solution to net zero."

Visiting the site, Witney MP Charlie Maynard said: "Just getting down and... having a look at it is just fun, it's interesting and there's lots of ingenuity and determination.

"We need more homes and this is helping to do that."