Official figures show that British manufacturing output rebounded in March after a poor start to the year, rising at the fastest monthly rate since last May.
The figures suggest that a tentative manufacturing recovery that began last year is back on track.
The Office for National Statistics said manufacturing output rose 0.6% on the month, slightly above forecasts for a 0.5% rise and bouncing back from a 0.7% fall in February. On the year, manufacturing was up 0.9%, bang in line with forecasts.
The broader measure of industrial production rose 0.3% on the month, just below the 0.4% gain forecast by analysts. The ONS said the manufacturing recovery was broad based with machinery and equipment industries showing a significant expansion.
Separate data released at the same time showed Britain's goods trade deficit with the rest of the world widened by more than expected in March to its largest since last May. The ONS said the global goods trade gap increased to £7 billion from £6.95 billion in February.
