MANUFACTURERS have been given a boost by news that the sector experienced a return to growth in April.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed manufacturing output increased by 0.3 per cent after declining in the previous month.

Growth in the electrical and optical equipment industries helped drive the improvement, though one economist said it was too early to judge if the sector could manage a sustained rally.

Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec Bank, said: "The numbers are encouraging but I would hesitate to put it stronger than that. High-tech output, in particular, can be very volatile from month to month."

The monthly growth figure means manufacturing output in the three months to April was flat compared with the previous quarter. However, the performance is still one per cent lower than a year earlier.

The improvement came as separate figures showed firms faced a continued struggle to raise factory gate prices.

The output price index was unchanged between April and May after falling 0.3 per cent in the previous month. However, the year-on-year figure slowed from an annual rise of 1.6 per cent in April to 1.3 per cent in May.