Recession fears grow as economy stalls

  Economic growth in the UK ground to a halt between April and June, sparking fears that the country is heading for a recession.   Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that in the second quarter of 2008 there was zero growth in the UK GDP, ending a run of 63 consecutive quarters of growth in the UK.   The economy technically enters a recession when growth shrinks for two consecutive quarters.   However, economist George Buckley at Deutsche Bank said the figures were “very weak” and suggested the UK economy was “already in recession”.   However, the GDP is still 1.4% higher than the same period in 2007.   Growth in the construction sector is estimated to have fallen by 1.1% in Q2 of the year.   Output from the service industries increased by 0.2%, but the output in the production industries fell by 0.8% and household expenditure fell by 0.1%.   helen.roxburgh@rbi.co.uk