UK construction growth drops to 11-month low -PMI

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By Fanny Potkin

LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Growth in Britain's construction industry tumbled to an 11-month low in July, as a lacklustre outlook for the economy and heightened political uncertainty deterred new orders, a survey showed on Wednesday.

The Markit/CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers' Index PMI) fell to 51.9 from 54.8 in June, below all forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists that had pointed to a reading of 54.5.

The survey is another mixed signal for Bank of England policymakers meeting this week to set interest rates. A sister survey on Tuesday had shown British manufacturing growth improved last month thanks to an upturn in exports.

But Wednesday's PMI for construction, which accounts for around 6 percent of British economic output, showed a sector struggling to maintain momentum.

"The combination of weaker order books and sharply rising construction costs provides a concern that an extended soft patch for the construction sector may be on the horizon," said Tim Moore, senior economist at survey compiler IHS Markit (Stuttgart: A1139A - news) .

Wednesday's PMI showed new business volumes declined for the first time since August 2016, hurt by a slowdown in the commercial construction sector.

Last week the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said demand to rent British commercial property had fallen to a five-year low.

Growth in the housebuilding sector also cooled, reflecting other signs of a slowdown in the housing market, according to the PMI. On Monday, the Bank of England said mortgage approvals fell to a nine-month low in June.

The waning growth in activity took its toll on construction firms' confidence about the future, which fell to its lowest level in a year, IHS Markit said.

The Federation of Master Builders said on Monday that the fall in the sterling exchange rate was causing prices of materials to soar, squeezing margins for a third of small builders and forcing nearly a quarter to raise prices.

More important for BoE (Shenzhen: 000725.SZ - news) officials will be Thursday's PMI for the services industry, which accounts for about 80 percent of British economic output.

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(Editing by Andy Bruce and Catherine Evans)