UK aggregate sales fall in third quarter

AGGREGATE sales volumes fell in the third quarter of this year and for the first nine months were relatively flat, compared with the same periods of 1999, according to the Quarry Products Association's latest quarterly survey of construction material trends.

A slow down in construction activity, particularly in the housing , commercial and industrial sectors; disruption of output during the fuel crisis; and the fact that government plans to increase transport and infrastructure investment have not yet had a market impact were said to be the main causes of the poor third-quarter results.

However, the QPA says improvements stemming from the Government's transport and infrastructure investment plans, including the latest boost to local authority road-maintenance funding, should start to become apparent from April 2001 and will counter the less-optimistic expectations of the housing, commercial and industrial sectors later in the year.