Manufacturing hit a three-month low in the UK in December, a survey suggests.

The Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index was at 52.5 for the month, compared with 53.3 in both October and November. A figure above 50 suggests that the sector is growing.

However, overall UK manufacturing activity was strong in 2014, while manufacturing growth in the eurozone was close to stagnation in December, said Markit.

The survey suggests evidence of slowdown in the manufacturing sector, with output and new order growth at their second-weakest rates during the past year-and-a-half.

Exports remain weak, with overseas orders stagnating amid weaker economic growth in key markets and the continuing weakness in the Euro area.