Construction orders fall to lowest level since 1995

New construction orders fell by more than a quarter in the past year, according to official figures from the Office of National Statistics.

The fall, in the three months to November compared with the same period the previous year, included a 55% reduction in private housing orders.

• Read analysis on the new order on our Brickonomics blog

The Office for National Statistics reported that total new construction orders slumped by 14% over the year to November, although for private housing the figure was 40%.

Infrastructure orders in the three months to November fell by 48% compared with the previous quarter, although over the year orders rose by 17%.