British manufacturing output unexpectedly fell for the second month running in September, official data shows today, casting doubt on the strength of the sector's recovery from recession.
The Office for National Statistics said that manufacturing output fell 0.3% - the biggest drop since March and compared with analysts' forecasts of a rise of 0.3%. That left output 0.8% weaker than a year earlier in September.
Overall, industrial production was also weaker than expected, rising by just 0.5% instead of the 0.8% predicted by analysts. That was because of maintenance work in certain oil fields being extended into September.
But the ONS said revisions to back data meant that the quarterly estimate for production - a drop of 0.6% - was in line with published GDP data for the third quarter. The ONS, however, said that the trend in the manufacturing sector is improving. It said the sector was growing on a quarterly basis, at a rate of 0.4%.
The trend in industrial production had also improved, according to the ONS and output was now seen declining at a rate of 1.5% instead of 3%.