Housebuilding activity rose in May but failed to stem an outgoing flow of commercial and civils work, according to the latest IHS Markit/CIPS construction survey.

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction total activity index in May dipped back below the “no change” 50 score again to register 48.6 – signalling a contraction – driven by a fall in commercial output not seen since September 2017.

And while housebuilding held its own, growth across the sector was at its weakest for three months.

…