Manufacturers 'face a flat start to 2013'

Britain's manufacturers are braced for a flat start to 2013, the CBI's latest industrial trends survey warned today.

Firms reported growing order books for the third month in a row and a slight rebound in export orders, but remain hesitant amid a dismal global outlook. The CBI's head of economic analysis, Anna Leach, said: "Conditions in the sector and the wider economy are likely to remain fragile until global conditions improve over the course of 2013."