BRITAIN’S construction industry has taken a turn for the worse, prompting unions to press the government for urgent investment in the country’s infrastructure.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that construction output was down 1.7 per cent in February, worse than expectations, with infrastructure work plummeting by 7.3 per cent.

Britain’s trade deficit — the gap between exports and imports — widened by £700 million to £3.7 billion, the figures also showed.