Markit's and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply's construction purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the U.K. remained unchanged at 54.2 in March, beating expectations for a decrease to 54.0.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the construction sector.

A slowdown in residential work offset rebound in civil engineering and commercial work. New business growth slowed down in March, while job creation weakened.

"March's survey confirms that the UK construction sector is experiencing its weakest growth phase since the summer of 2013. Residential building has seen the greatest loss of momentum through the first quarter of 2016, which is a surprising reversal of fortunes given strong market fundamentals and its clear outperformance over the past three years," Senior Economist at Markit, Tim Moore, said.