LONDON: Mortgage lending fell to a four-month low in July, according to the Bank of England, fuelling fears that tight credit conditions may hamper future growth.

UK: Figures released this week reveal a drop in construction companies reporting expanding workloads, highlighting the uncertainty in the house building industry ahead of the government spending review in the autumn.

UK: The biggest falls in property values are expected in regions where the state is the largest local employer.

LONDON: The underlying value of private housing construction projects starting on site fell in the three months to July after six months of sustained growth.

UK: Total construction output in the UK in 2010 is forecast to be £89 900m at constant 2005 prices, according to a report from market analysts, Leading Edge.

This figure is 2.1% down (£2000m) on 2009 figures, making it be the third year in a row which has seen a fall in overall construction output.

LONDON: House prices fell last month and retail sales growth slowed abruptly according to two surveys released today suggesting the UK recovery is faltering.

LONDON: Construction group Morgan Sindall has warned about the impact of sharp public sector spending cuts on the industry.

LONDON: The construction industry will shrink in the second half of the year according to the latest Construction Trade Survey published yesterday.

SCOTLAND: Scottish Building Federation chief executive Michael Levack has said the latest preliminary UK insolvency figures paints a worrying picture of the continuing impact of the economic downturn on Scotland’s construction sector.

UK: Despite the recent favourable ONS figures, the construction industry is facing a further decline in output in the second half of 2010, according to the the latest Construction Trade Survey, published today.

LONDON: The outlook for UK commercial development activity over the next three months turned negative for the first time since July 2009 according to Savills' Total Commercial Development Activity Index.

LONDON: The threat of a double-dip recession intensified today with figures showing that growth in the service sector, which spans businesses from insurance to hotels and restaurants, fell more than expected to a 13-month low in July, according to the Markit/Cips UK services purchasing managers' index.

UK: British house prices recovered by 0.6% during July, reversing a drop in the previous month, the Halifax said.

BELFAST: The construction sector and related industries in Northern Ireland are continuing to contract and the regions economy will grow by 0.8%, according to the latest economic research from Northern Bank.

UK: June newbuild postcode registrations show strongest increase in over 18 months.

DUBLIN: House prices in Ireland fell 6.4% since the start of the year but building continues despite the slump and the glut of housing.

LONDON: Sales on the high street increased in July compared with a year ago, and surpassed expectations, according to the latest CBI Distributive Trades Survey. Retailers expect sales growth to continue strongly next month.

LONDON: Further evidence emerged yesterday that the housing recovery is running out of steam with data from Hometrack showing prices dipped during July, the first decline in 15 months.

LONDON: Government statistics reveal the extent of retail sales triggered by the World Cup.  

UK: Construction sector output jumped 6.6% – the biggest rise in activity since the 1960s – helping Britain's economy grow almost twice as fast as expected in the second quarter.

SLOUGH: Phil Westerman, head of construction at Grant Thornton UK said the Office of National Statistics reports contain positive news for the construction industry.

LONDON: New figures show construction output slightly up on previous figures.

MANCHESTER: The number of building companies in financial difficulties fell by 26% between the first quarter and the second quarter of 2010 but more builders are likely to fail, said a financial consultant.

LONDON: New figures confirmed that the six successive quarters of negative growth from spring 2008 until autumn 2009 were the toughest for the economy since the Great Depression of the 1930s, harsher even than the slump of the early 1980s.

LONDON: The number of business failures eased but still exceeds pre-recession levels of early 2008 according to the Equifax Business Failures Report.

DUBLIN: Irish construction shrank at the slowest pace in almost three years in June as the economy stabilized after the recession, according to Ulster Bank's monthly report released today.

UK: The value of social housing construction projects starting on-site in the second quarter was 40% lower than a year ago, according to the latest Glenigan Index.

EUROPE/US: Stocks fell after purchases of new US homes dropped to a record low. This has renewed concern that the economic recovery in EU states may falter without further government support.

LONDON: Smaller merchants struggling to raise business finance are not alone: Britain's banks lent just £900m to small businesses last year, bank statistics show.

UK: Yesterday, on a flat day for the stock market, shares in B&Q owner Kingfisher added 2.9p to 210.7p despite signs of a consumer spending slowdown. One of the biggest moves in the FTSE 250 Index came from BSS after it backed the cash and shares takeover offer from Travis Perkins.

LONDON: Sales of construction products rose "significantly" during the second quarter, according to the latest Construction Activity Barometer from Ernst and Young and the Construction Products Association.