Sweltering builders get around health and safety rule by wearing dresses

The builders were horrified by the new health and safety rules forbidding shorts - but they had an idea.

Boiling builders who were told they were not allowed to wear shorts while working in 26C heat managed to keep cool by wearing skirts.

The brickies - who were working in Chertsey, Surrey in the UK - were horrified by new health and safety rules forbidding shorts.

But when they realised they could get around the ban by wearing women's clothing thanks to gender equality regulations, they showed up for work in skirts and dresses, the Daily Mail reports.

The workers said they were also inspired by schoolboys who wore skirts to get around a ban on shorts.

Simon Miles, 45, wore his wife's denim skirt while working on the Bellway Homes site, telling The Sun: "Shorts were made for brickies".

"I was going to find another job and some of the other lads were really struggling and uncomfortable in jeans. We gathered it was a health and safety issue.

"But we realised that as there were women working in offices on the same site in skirts, they couldn't stop us doing the same."

Adam Houdoire picked this up for about $19 from the supermarket.

He said he was "even wolf-whistled" by a man, adding: "I've never had one of those before."

The workers said they were also inspired by schoolboys who wore skirts to get around a ban on shorts.

Simon added that he later switched to a green dress.

It was 26C heat but the workers weren't allowed to wear shorts according to new rules.

Adam Houdoire, 29, chose to go for a £10 ($19) dress from a supermarket.

He said: "I love it. It gives you far more freedom."