UK furniture prices to rise as war in Ukraine drives up cost of timber

Trade body says pressure on manufacturers will have to be shared with retailers and consumers'

• Russia-Ukraine war - latest updates

Shoppers are being warned that the cost of a new sofa and other furniture is to race higher as the Russia-Ukraine war pushes up the cost of key materials such as timber.

We have never seen anything like this in terms of across-the-board price increases for materials," said Sean Holt, the managing director of the British Furniture Manufacturers, the industry's trade body. It is putting a lot of pressure on manufacturing in the UK and that will have to be shared with retailers and consumers."