British manufacturing output fell by 0.8% in September from the August level, the seventh monthly fall in a row, and was down 2.3% on a 12-month basis, the Office for National Statistics said on Nov. 5.
The ONS said that a wider measure of industrial production, which includes mining, quarrying and energy, declined 0.2% in September from August and was down 2.2% year-on-year.
"Manufacturers are being hit hard by depressed domestic demand, weakening activity in key export markets, tight credit conditions and extended elevated input costs," said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer. "While the significantly weaker pound is helping UK manufacturers, this is being more than offset by deteriorating domestic demand in key export markets, notably the eurozone and the United States."
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008
