But earlier blows such as the closure of the Redcar steel plant last autumn mean basic iron and steel manufacturing was down 37.3% on a year earlier in March.
The Office for National Statistics said the ailing sector had knocked 0.3 percentage points off annual industrial output.
Lee Hopley, chief economist at the EEF manufacturers’ organisation, said: “There isn’t too much in the data to lift economic spirits as a small increase in manufacturing output in March doesn’t change the picture of an overall weak start to the year.”
Number-crunchers’ original estimates of 0.4% growth for the wider economy are likely to remain unchanged by the figures, although this week has already seen dreadful trade figures. A raft of downbeat surveys also suggested that growth could slow to just 0.1% in the latest quarter.
Uncertainty over the Brexit referendum is hurting UK manufacturers but low oil prices have also torpedoed investment by players in the North Sea oil industry.
The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates on hold at 0.5% when its monthly policy decision is announced tomorrow, along with its latest inflation report.
