Britain’s brief manufacturing revival came to a halt in April as output fell by 0.2%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.
Hopes that a pick-up in industry would lead to better-balanced growth in the UK were dented by figures showing the first decline in factory production in three months.
The ONS said falls in transport equipment, wood and paper products, and metals were the main factors behind the monthly drop, but added that in the three months to April – a better guide to the underlying trend – output was 0.5% higher than in the three months ending in January.
April’s small decline followed increases of 0.7% in February and 1.1% in March. Despite the stronger trend since the turn of the year, officials said factories were producing 10% less than they were in 2007, before the onset of the deep recession in early 2008.
via The Guardian
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