This equates to £14.9bn of work in the month, a fall from £15.2bn carried out in March.

The UK’s monthly construction output, in financial value terms, hasn’t been this low since June 2022 when £14.9bn of work was carried out.

April’s decline follows a 2.2% decrease in construction output measured in three preceding months - this sixth consecutive fall in the three-monthly series.

A 1.9% decrease in new work and a 0.8% reduction in repair and maintenance work were attributed to for April’s slowdown.

Anecdotal evidence suggests heavy rainfall and strong winds affected output during April, according to the ONS.

At a sector level, seven out of nine sectors recorded a fall in construction output in April - with private housing new builds and private housing repairs recording falls of 4.4% and 2.5% respectively.

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Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders, said this data represents a “worrying trend.”

“While survey data collected by the ONS indicates that continued wet and windy conditions once again contributed to the struggles of construction firms, the stagnation seen across the UK economy suggests this is part of a wider problem,” said Brian.
 
“With the General Election fast approaching, and all of the major political parties claiming sustainable long-term growth will be a priority, it is essential that construction receives the attention it needs.”

Joining him in his call for more political support was Rico Wojtulewicz, head of policy at the National Federation of Builders.

“High speed rail, airport expansion, heat pump installs, electrification of buildings, freight transport, mining for manufacturing, energy generation and much more is either stalled, or made unviable because of the broken, delay ridden planning process,” said Rico.

“Until the UK gets a government which puts growth above fear of planning reform backlash from the vocal minority, we will continue to see a stumbling economy which cannot meet its potential.”