BUILDING IS HAMMERED

The Beast from the East battered Britain’s building industry last month, figures out yesterday have confirmed.

Output in the construction sector dropped at the fastest rate since July 2016, after the Brexit vote, according to a survey by number crunchers IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.

But the research suggested it was a temporary blip.

Tim Moore, author of the report, said: “A solid rise in employment numbers and the rebound in business expectations to a nine-month high provide an indication that construction activity will strengthen over the near-term.”