British construction fell sharply in August, hit by a fall in house-building and adding to signs of a slowdown in other areas of the economy, official figures showed on Friday.
Separate data showed Britain's goods trade deficit narrowed in August but only because imports fell more sharply than exports.
Construction output slid 3.9 per cent on the month and fell year-on-year for the first time since May 2013, by 0.3 per cent, the Office for National Statistics said.
It revised July output to a 1.9 per cent rise on the month, from an original estimate of no change.
The biggest drag on the August headline figure came from a fall in house-building which was down 5.5 per cent from July. Infrastructure and commercial building also fell.
