"There is little to take comfort from these figures which prove that recent talk of an upturn was way too premature. Business and households have been hit hard by a recession that has turned out to be longer and more enduring than expected.
"Given government and the Bank of England have already made strenuous efforts to tackle the problem, we are now in unchartered territory and the concern is now where we go from here. Stimulus measures will run out at the end of the year when the economy will still be extremely fragile and the prospect of a recovery in the early part of 2010 looks even more uncertain."