UK manufacturing growth at a 30-month high, says PMI survey

Markit poll shows the weak pound providing a boost for exports but cost pressures remain

Britain's manufacturers ended 2016 on a strong note, according to a survey that signalled the fastest growth in the sector for more than two years and indicated that the weak pound had boosted exports.

Defying economists' expectations for a slowdown, the manufacturing sector enjoyed stronger expansion and a pick-up in orders from home and abroad in December. But cost pressures persisted as the pound's weakness since the referendum continued to make imports more expensive.