UK factory output posts ninth rise in a row

UK manufacturing continued on its road to recovery in July, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Output was up by 0.9% in the latest three months ending July on the previous three-month period and was 4.3% up on a year ago. The three-monthly figures have now shown increases since November 2009 — or nine consecutive rises.

The 4.3% rise on the same period a year earlier was the best figure since early 1995.

Basic metals and metal products and textile, leather and clothing were the two best performing sub-sectors with 10.2% and 9.7% increases respectively.

Meanwhile, the production industries (manufacturing, utilities and energy) saw output up by 0.6% in the three-months to July on the previous quarter and by 2.0% on the same three-month period a year ago.

The ONS said there was scope for further gains in industrial output as more oil rigs came back on stream in August.

The more volatile monthly figures showed manufacturing output rose by 4.9% in July 2010 compared to the same month a year earlier — the highest monthly rise since December 1994.

www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iop0910.pdf