London, Jul 4 (IANS): The construction sector in Britain saw the sharpest fall in June for two and a half years, said a Markit/CIPS market sensitive survey report.

The Markit/CIPS Construction Purchasing managers' Index (PMI) stood at 48.2 in June, down from 54.4 in May, the biggest fall since February 2009. A PMI reading above 50 denotes growth, while a reading below 50 suggests contraction, reported Xinhua.

The survey also found employment in the sector fell from the first time in four months.

Britain's economy contracted 0.3 percent in the first three months of the year and having shrunk at the end of 2011 is deemed to be in recession.

In a further sign of the weak state of the economy, the latest official data also showed that the country's dominant service sector stagnated in April.

Construction sector weakness was cited as a key factor why Britain returned to recession at the start of 2012.

"The UK construction sector moved back into reverse gear in June, with output falling at its fastest pace since the end of 2009 amid a steep decline in civil engineering," said Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit.