The latest reading was still the second-best seen since February and confirmed a slight improvement in the average pace of growth during the third quarter compared with that observed in the three months to June.

Commenting on the flash PMI data, Phil Smith, Principal Economist at IHS Markit said: "The service sector was left to do most of the heavy lifting in September, as manufacturing put in its worst overall performance since August 2016. Service providers enjoyed the biggest boost to new business in over seven years in a further sign of strong domestic demand. Manufacturing new orders, however, were broadly flat as export sales declined for the first time in more than three years".