Construction output fell as private housing starts plunged to a 17-month low, official data showed.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said this week that the volume of work done by industry fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.6 per cent in April.
After two consecutive months of growth, the latest decline was driven by a drop in new projects in the private residential sector, which hit its lowest level since November 2021.
The much smaller public housing market also suffered a decline, according to the seasonally adjusted index.
There were also slight declines in new jobs in commercial and public buildings. Infrastructure activity levels rose in April, as did industrial workloads.
Repair and maintenance output was unchanged from March when looking at the entire construction sector as a whole.
The ONS said anecdotal evidence “suggests a continued slowdown in private housing, citing economic concerns with customers hesitant to apply for work”.
In total, £17.5 billion worth of construction work took place in April, down from a record £19.9 billion the previous month.
This sharp drop is partly due to expected seasonal fluctuations. April is a shorter month than March and includes the start of a new financial year.
Separate data released by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply last week found construction activity rose slightly in May.
Meanwhile, 42 firms in the construction sector entered administration in May, according to Creditsafe data published by Construction news last week.
