Construction contractors help with ''surprise'' GDP surge

The leap in the UK''s GDP has been lead by the construction sector.

The resilience of the construction sector has, along with the service sector, helped the UK to a record surge in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which has left many commentators shocked, according to one newspaper.

After the release of the figures, which revealed that GDP grew almost twice as fast as expected in the second quarter, the Guardian spoke to experts including James Knightley, UK economist at ING, and Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist for Capital Economics, who urged cautious optimism.

Benjamin Williamson, senior economist at the Centre of Economics and Business Research, added: "It is not a coincidence that business services and finance and construction should be the largest contributors to growth this quarter, as the output of these sectors is by far the most difficult to measure."

Contractors working in the construction industry should be buoyed by the figures, which showed the sectors output improved by 6.6 per cent.