Private housing output was one of the only areas of the construction sector to increase in July.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show overall construction output fell for the second consecutive month as extreme heat forced workers off site for days at a time. Output decreased 0.8%, having dropped by 1.4% in June. 

Amber and red weather warnings were issued numerous times in July and businesses reported having lost working days to the heatwave, with 18 and 19 July in particular proving too hot to work safely for many when temperatures topped 40 degrees C for the first time in the UK.