Government figures reveal sharp fall in housing orders only partly offset by a big increase in infrastructure work

Construction orders fell by 15% in the past three months to 拢6.7bn, according to UK government figures out today.

Orders in the quarter to the end of August were down by 18% on the same quarter in 2007, with the drop led by sharp falls in orders for private housing, although this was partly offset by a strong upturn in public-sector contracts.

The seasonally adjusted figures, from the Office for National Statistics, show that the value of private housing orders, at 拢912m, was just half that for the same period in 2007.

Private non-housing orders also fell, by 39% on the same quarter last year, and by 30% on the previous three months, to 拢2.59bn.

However, overall construction figures were bolstered by large increases in orders for infrastructure works - up by almost 60% on the same period last year to 拢1.36bn - and public sector non-housing work, up 19% on 2007.

Orders for the 12 months to August were 7% lower than the previous year.

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