Builders freeze up

BRITAIN’S builders endured a miserable March as heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures hit business.

research group IHS Markit said its index of activity in the construction sector, where 50 is the cut- off between growth and decline – fell from 51.4 in February to 47 in March, the first contraction for six months and the worst month for builders since July 2016.

Duncan Brock, of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, which helped compile the figures, said: ‘ It’s obvious supply chains were woefully unprepared to deal with the disruption.’