The UK's return to growth was underlined today as revised figures confirmed the powerhouse services sector helped the economy expand by 0.3 per cent in the first three months of the year.
Services shook off the freezing start to the year, with a recovery from hotels and restaurants helping the sector grow by 0.6 per cent in the first quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
An even stronger resurgence in North Sea oil and gas production also helped offset another dire quarter from Britain's building sites and more weakness in the manufacturing sector, helping the UK avoid a feared triple-dip recession.
Confirmation of a return to growth - after the economy shrank by 0.3 per cent in the final quarter of 2012 - will add to Chancellor George Osborne's optimism that the economy is healing.
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