The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has raised concerns over the future of the UK's construction sector following new figures that show a downturn in output.

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for April 2018 show that the sector declined by 3.4% in the three months from February to April compared with the previous three months, marking the biggest fall in six years.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said issues such as the 'Beast from the East', rising costs and Brexit are to blame for the current slump.

"The Beast from the East has certainly played its part as it forced many construction sites to close in March. Indeed, builders were reporting that it was too cold to lay bricks," he said.

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"Alongside the cold snap, the drop in construction output can also be attributed to rising costs for construction firms large and small. While wages are continuing to rise because of the acute skills crisis in our sector, firms are also feeling the pinch thanks to increased material prices. The depreciation of sterling following the EU referendum has meant bricks and insulation in particular have become more expensive. We expect material prices to continue to squeeze the construction industry with recent research by the Federation of Master Builders showing that 84 per cent of builders believe that they will continue to rise in the next six months."

Continuing, Mr Berry said with nine months until the UK officially leaves the EU, "the future is uncertain for the UK construction sector".

"The Government is still to confirm what the post-Brexit immigration system will look like," he said.

"The construction sector is largely reliant on accessing EU workers with more than 8 per cent of construction workers coming from the EU. It is therefore imperative that the sector knows how, and to what extent, it can recruit these workers post-Brexit."

(LM/MH)