Construction output grew 6.6% in the second quarter of 2010, helping to raise GDP to higher than expected levels

The figures, released last Friday by the Office for National Statistics, show what is expected to be a short-term turnaround in fortunes for the industry, which contracted by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2010.

The UK’s GDP rose 1.1%, a big improvement on the 0.3% growth in the first quarter.

Year on year, construction output was up 5.8% on the same quarter in 2009.