Its latest State of Trade Survey – the first since the EU vote – showed that sales of construction products increased in Q3.

The results found that a net balance of 26 per cent of heavy-side firms reported a quarter-on-quarter rise in sales in Q3, while a balance of 50 per cent of light-side manufacturers also reported a quarterly sales increase.

CPA senior economist Rebecca Larkin said: “In contrast to pre-referendum pessimism evident in manufacturers’ forward-looking views in last quarter’s survey, expectations for near-term sales turned markedly higher in Q3.

“On balance, 45 per cent of heavy-side firms and 67 per cent of those on the light-side anticipated rising sales over the next three months and this optimism extends for performance over the next 12 months.”

The Markit / CIPS Construction PMI data for September also showed growth in construction activity for the first time since the EU referendum.

Results for September stood at 52.3, rising above the index’s 50.0 ‘no change’ mark and showed the biggest increase since March.

However, the figure was still lower than the long-run average of 54.6.