UK construction sector output rebounded in March but the rise was not enough to prevent a significant fall over the first quarter as a whole.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that construction output in the first quarter was down by 1.1 per cent on the final three months of last year.

And construction output in the opening three months of this year was down by 0.3 per cent on the same period of 2014.

The ONS highlighted the fact that this was the first year-on-year fall in construction output since the second quarter of 2013.

Output is defined as the amount charged by construction companies, to customers, for value of work produced during the reporting period, excluding VAT and payments to sub-contractors.

Howard Archer, chief UK economist at consultancy IHS Global Insight, said: "Construction output saw a much-needed and welcome rebound in March. However, this was not enough to prevent marked contraction of 1.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter."

However, he took some encouragement from the fact the contraction in construction output in the first quarter was less than the 1.6 per cent drop estimated by the Office for National Statistics in preliminary first-quarter gross domestic product data.

The Bank of England said this week that it had cut its growth forecast for this year from 2.9 per cent to 2.5 per cent. It is now predicting below-trend growth in the UK until at least 2017.