THE UK's trade deficit narrowed to £4.2bn in February following a fall in the value of imports from outside the European Union.
The improvement on the £5.5bn gap in trade on goods and services in January was better than the £4.6bn deficit expected by economists.
It reflected a £500m rise in the value of exports and an £800m drop in imports, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
Total exports of goods to countries outside the EU rose 8.5 per cent in February, while imports fell by a similar amount, the ONS said.
But the deterioration in the trade deficit to the EU continued, widening from £2.1bn in January to £2.2bn
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