A survey has shown that price pressures in Britain's manufacturing sector soared in March, with cost inflation at a 13-year high and companies hiking prices at record rates.
The figure may dampen hopes for an interest rate cut this month from the Bank of England.
Overall growth in the sector remained muted though steady, according to the CIPS/NTC purchasing managers' index.
The activity index was unchanged from February at 51.3, but output growth cooled to 52.3 from 53.2 in February to mark its weakest rate since December 2006. Any reading above 50 marks growth.
The input price index surged to 76.3 in March from 72.7 to indicate the highest rate of cost inflation since April 1995, reflecting higher energy and raw material costs.
Companies are still in a position to pass some of those costs on to customers. The output price index rose to 60.6, the highest since the series began in 1999, from 59.9 in February.
