LONDON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Britain's construction sector expanded in December but the pace slowed to its lowest since September 2021, a report said Friday.
For the month, the headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI Total Activity Index decreased from 55.5 in November to 54.3, though above the crucial 50.0 no-change threshold, according to the joint report by IHS Markit, a London-based global information provider, and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), a Britain-based global procurement and supply organization.
Some survey respondents noted that tighter COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and rising COVID-19 cases had acted as a brake on recovery, especially in the commercial sector, the report added.
"Though the overall index moved down slightly in December there was light at the end of the tunnel for builders in terms of the strongest order numbers since August, reduced pressure on business costs and some improved delivery times for essential materials," said CIPS Group Director Duncan Brock.
Britain reported another 179,756 daily coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 14,015,065, according to official figures released Thursday. ■