12:24

Despite the positive headlines from the latest PMI reading for the manufacturing sector, there are some warning signals for the road ahead, writes the Guardian’s economics correspondent Richard Partington.

The latest snapshot suggests that the outbreak of the coronavirus in China has weighed on overseas orders for UK factories. In a worrying sign for future output, some orders from clients in Asia have been cancelled altogether.

Extended factory shutdowns in China amid quarantine efforts also look to be causing delays in supplies of materials and components to British manufacturers who depend on them, with stocks falling at the fastest pace for more than seven years.

In a stark reflection of the troubles ahead, supplier delivery times plunged the most since surveys began in 1992, even exceeding the previous record seen during the UK fuel protests in 2000 when trucks were left standing idle.

Manufacturers will no doubt hope the efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus will be lifted soon, lest they face continued disruption that could weigh on output in Britain.

Duncan Brock, group director at CIPs, which compiles the survey, notes: