Report shows 38% demolition in construction orders

Published on Thursday 11 June 2009 21:38

IN A further blow to the embattled industry, new construction orders slumped by 38 per cent in the first quarter of 2009 against the same period last year, figures out yesterday revealed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics also showed that new construction orders contracted by 9 per cent in the three months to April compared with the three months to January.

The weakness was particularly pronounced in the private housing sector, with new construction orders for private housing down 41 per cent year-on-year in the period.

However, this was down by just 2 per cent compared with the three months to January.

The data on orders follows recent gloomy figures for construction output, which plunged by 9 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of the year – the sharpest drop since 1963.