Construction bounce unlikely to strengthen UK growth

Repair and maintenance drives building sector up by 3.9% in March but figure is unlikely to alter weak UK-wide growth

Britain's construction industry enjoyed a rebound in March after a tough winter but the performance looks unlikely to alter an overall picture of weak economic growth for the first quarter of 2015.

The Office for National Statistics said construction output rose 3.9% in March, faster than the 2.5% increase forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. The growth, helped by a strong pick-up in repair and maintenance work, followed falls in January and February for the construction sector, which makes up around 6% of the economy.

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