Results from the Civil Engineering Contractors Association’s workload trends survey for the final quarter of 2017 found that for the first time since 2013 workloads fell, according to 4% of  firms, on balance.

Five out of ten sectors reported falling workloads, on balance, with railways recording the weakest balance (-32%). Local road. motorway and port work also declined.

Telecoms work was the only sector to show substantial growth.

Furthermore order books decreased for 10% of British firms, on balance.

CECA Director of External Affairs Marie-Claude Hemming said: “These disappointing figures show that more must be done to unlock planned infrastructure investment and bring schemes to market.

“CECA calls on Government to do more, by committing to projects outlined in the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan, and to continue to develop projects to add to this pipeline to secure the future of the UK economy.

“Our hopes are that the decline in workloads during 2017 Q4 are representative of a pause in activity, rather than a sign of broader decline.

“Nonetheless these statistics reinforce our concern that rail activity is far below where we might have expected it to be at this stage of the investment cycle.”