New housing increased by 5.4% in April with both the public and private housing sectors experiencing growth, according to the Output in the Construction Industry report from the Office of National Statistics.

The report found that output in the construction industry increased by 1.4% in March 2015 but then decreased in April by 0.8%.

Repair and maintenance on public housing fell by 6.2% as the sector experienced a  decrease in all types of work.

However, orders in the construction industry in Q1 were estimated to have increased by 0.4% compared with Q4 2014, and by 8% with Q1 2014.

The biggest increases were seen in infrastructure which grew by 18.6%, with private industrial up by 6.1% and new housing up by 1.2%.

The main driver behind new work was private housing which grew by 16.6% as overall housing grew by 5.3% in April 2015.

Agents noted there had been a pickup of affordable housing completions ahead of the end of the Homes & Communities Agency grant period.

Infrastructure also helped drive new work as it grew by 9.6% while construction of industrial buildings also increased.  

Agents also noticed a gradual increase in house building amongst small builders.

The report also claimed that the strength in housing output may partly be driven by rising house prices and strong mortgage approvals.

The ONS House Price Index showed that UK house prices increased by 9.6% in the year to March 2015 and mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 8% in April 2015 year-on-year.