AUDIO NEWS: Construction activity falls, and EastEnders cast raise money for an electrician

Construction activity drops in December, but purchasing managers optimistic about 2026, Welsh homeowners lose £239 million and Jake Wood campaigns to help electrician who fell 11-storeys

Construction activity improved slightly in December, claims a survey of industry buying managers.

The Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index found that despite the ongoing downturn in business activity and new work, 37% of respondents predicted a rise in output in the year ahead.

A fifth of the survey panel forecasted a decline.

Tim Moore, economics director, at S&P Global, the publishers of the index, said business activity expectations for the year ahead had “rebounded to a five-month high”.

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Homeowners in Wales have lost nearly £240 million in the last five years to rogue builders — that’s according to research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The report claims that up to 12% of homeowners have personally lost money due to poor or unsafe building work.

The Welsh chapter of the FMB is lobbying the local government to introduce a mandatory licensing scheme for builders.

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EastEnders actor Jake Wood has made a fund-raising appeal on social media to help an electrician involved in a serious accident.

Connor, the electrician who works on the set of the popular soap, was severely injured when he fell from an 11-storey building while on a Christmas break in Columbia.

A GoFundMe page set up for Connor and supported by the East Enders cast has already raised over £30,000.

To contribute click here.

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