A BUSINESS organisation has urged the Government to do more to help exporters surmount EU jitters.

The North East England Chamber of Commerce (NEECC) says ministers must focus on the skills gap and give firms support to navigate the weaker pound.

The warning came after new figures from the British Chambers of Commerce revealed exporters’ confidence had not been dented by Brexit, with many expecting turnover to improve.

According to the findings, manufacturing and services sector firms are increasingly confident they will improve revenues over the next year.

But Ben Powick, NEECC policy adviser, said the situation was a mixed bag.

He said: “The quarter-onquarter growth in trade documentation for the North-East actually fell by 7.6 per cent.

“However, there are companies benefiting from trading conditions at present.”

One such firm is electrical safety test equipment maker Seaward, based in Peterlee, east Durham.

Mark Marsh, finance director, said: “As over half of our business is international, we are seeing an improvement in profits, which we are reinvesting into the business.”