U.K. industrial output rebounded in January after registering the largest decline in more than five years in December 2017, and construction output saw the largest fall since June 2012.
Industrial output increased by 1.3% in January from the previous month, driven by a 23.5% increase in mining and quarrying because of the reopening of the Forties oil pipeline that shut down in December 2017. Manufacturing output grew for the ninth consecutive month, rising by 0.1% from the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said.
Total production output rose by 1.4% for the three months to January, compared with the same period last year. Manufacturing provided the only upward contribution among the four main sectors, at 2.6%.
Meanwhile, construction output contracted by 3.4% in January from the previous month because of a 4.8% decline in new work and a 0.7% decrease in repair and maintenance.
Construction output decreased by 1.0% in the three months to January, compared with the three months to October 2017, mainly due to the continued decline in private commercial work.
