The UK economy has returned to recession, official figures have shown.
The UK economy has returned to recession, official figures have shown.
The economy shrank by 0.2% in the first three months of 2012, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. This followed contraction of 0.3% in the last three months of 2011.
The ONS said there was a sharp 3% fall in construction output, the biggest fall for three years, adding that it had double-checked the figures.
A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction.