Output of motor vehicles and engines jumped by 6.8 per cent between October and November, a key factor in a surprise recovery by manufacturing as a whole.

This revived by a seasonally adjusted 0.4 per cent after three months of unbroken declines since July.

Amid the broader categories, the strongest performance came from "transport equipment" - including the motor in industry - with a 1.3 per cent improvement and "machinery and equipment", up by 1.5 per cent.

But this recovery regained little more than half the ground lost in October and left industry's output still 1.8 per cent below that in November last year.

Over the three months to November manufacturing output was 0.8 per cent down on June/August.

National Statistics said the sharpest falls were setbacks of 1.5 per cent in food, drink and tobacco and 1.2 per cent in paper, printing and publishing.

The unusual cold snap in November boosted demand for gas, pushing output of gas, electricity and water up by 3.8 per cent, although over the latest three months it was still 2.1 per cent down on the same months last year.

The long-term decline in North Sea oil and gas output reduced that of extractive industries generally by 0.5 per cent in November and by 0.7 per cent on a three-monthly comparison.

Overall, the wider measure of all kinds of production rose by 0.6 per cent between November and October after a 1.1 per cent drop in October. This November rise was the strongest in any month since April.

An NS spokesman said a 2.2 per cent monthly increase in December will be needed to prevent industrial production from being a drag on Britain's gross domestic product for the fourth quarter of last year.