The figure for July to September was down from the 0.7% growth recorded in the second quarter of 2016 - the months before Britain voted to leave the European Union.

But it is more robust than many economists had expected - and stronger than the 0.2% forecast last month by the Bank of England (BoE).

The higher-than-expected GDP figure was driven by the services sector - which accounts for more than 78% of the UK economy - which grew by 0.2% in the three months to September.

and changing directions sometimes is a good thing, may they contine to grow.