British official trade deficit increases in February

LONDON: Britain's trade-in-goods deficit widened in February by more than expected, as exports to countries outside the European Union fell, official figures showed on Thursday.

The deficit grew to £8.8 billion (10.7 billion euros, $14.0 billion), the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. That compared with a revised shortfall of £7.9 billion in January.

Market expectations had been for a smaller February deficit of £7.6 billion, according to economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires. Exports of goods to non-EU countries fell 8.8 percent to £11.7 billion, while British imports rose 1.0 percent to £16.7 billion, leading to a trade deficit with countries outside the European single market of £5.0 billion.