A SURVEY of 6,203 firms across the UK has revealed a 'downbeat' outlook with no improvement in key economic indicators.

One of the Quarterly Economic Survey indicators included nearly half of firms reporting decreases in domestic sales, while only 26 per cent reported an increase and 30 per cent reported no change.

Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “It indicates that economic activity was downbeat in the final quarter of 2020 as the re-introduction of tighter coronavirus restrictions weighed heavily on the key drivers."