LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - British manufacturing fell at a slower pace than expected in February but that still marked the 12th straight month of declines, the longest stretch of losses since the recession of 1980.
The Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday manufacturing output fell by 0.9 percent on the month, less than the 1.5 percent drop analysts had forecast.
That took the annual rate of decline to 13.8 percent, its biggest since January 1981 as almost all sectors are suffering as the world faces a collapse in global trade.
The ONS said car production and metal products had been particularly hard hit in February.
The broader measure of industrial production, which makes up nearly a fifth of the economy, also fell less than expected, by 1.0 percent on the month. That took the annual rate of decline to 12.5 percent, its biggest drop since records began in 1968.
Britain's economy fell into recession in the second half of last year and these latest figures indicate that overall output has continued to fall sharply.