Britain's trade deficit jumps

LONDON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The Office for National Statistics Wednesday said Britain's trade deficit rose sharply in December to $7.7 billion.

November's figure was unchanged from an earlier report, which put the deficit in November at $6.2 billion, the national data agency said.

Britain's trade deficit in goods widened from $13.7 billion in November to $14.8 billion. The surplus in services, however, shrank in the month from $7.2 billion to $7 billion.

Excluding oil and "erratic items" the volume of goods exports dropped 1.3 percent after rising 3.4 percent in November. The volume of imports rose 1.4 percent after rising 0.3 percent in November, ONS said.