LONDON: Britain’s industrial production has taken an unexpected tumble, hurt by a sharp slide in oil and gas extraction, official data showed on Wednesday.
Output sank 1.3 percent in October compared with activity in September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed in a statement.
That confounded market expectations for a slight gain. Over 12 months, it was down by 1.1 percent.
Production was hurt by the shutdown of the Buzzard North Sea oil field — one of Britain’s biggest — which was closed for maintenance, the ONS noted.
Manufacturing output, which excludes mining and quarrying, electricity, gas and water supply, slid 0.9 percent in October from the previous month, dented by falling pharmaceuticals production.
The ONS added that it decreased by 0.4 percent year-on-year.
“October saw a sharp fall in UK oil output, largely down to the total shutdown of the major Buzzard oil field,” said ONS senior statistician Katie Davies.
“Small falls in output across a range of sectors also contributed to a drop in overall manufacturing.”
The strength of the economy in recent months has surprised some forecasters, who predicted a downturn in the wake of Britain’s June vote to leave the European Union. Growth has been significantly driven by consumers.
