Construction output lifted 0.4% in September, after falling for two consecutive months, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics.  

The rise in volumes came solely from a 2.1% increase in repair and maintenance activity, which partially offset a 0.8% fall in new work in the month.    

Across the third quarter of the year, building work edged up 0.1% compared to the previous three months.   

The quarterly rise was due to repair and maintenance projects, which lifted 0.7%, while new work slipped 0.3%.  

The annual rate of construction output price growth was 3.9% in the year to September, down from a 10.4% record last May.  

Beard finance director Fraser Johns says: “Following the PMI data earlier this week which showed a decline in output in October, news this morning of a 0.4% uplift in volume in September shows just how unpredictable and volatile the sector is in the current climate.   

“Although the month saw a fall in new work, when viewed in the context of the quarter, there was actually a 3.9% rise compared to the second quarter of this year.  

Johns adds: “The biggest contributors to this rise were infrastructure new orders, up 14.3%, and non-housing public new work, up 23.7%, particularly for schools and colleges.  

“September’s uplift and the marginal quarter-to-quarter growth was caused predominantly by a rise in repair and maintenance, demonstrating that the appetite or ability to commit to new building projects is still clearly dampened.”