The economy
grew by 1.0%, according to official gross domestic product figures (GDP), which
measure the value of everything produced in the country.
The
Office for National Statistics said that Olympic ticket sales had added 0.2
percentage points to the figures.
All
Olympic and Paralympic ticket sales counted towards July to September's GDP
figure.
The
economy had been in recession for the previous nine months and has still not
recovered the levels of output seen before the financial crisis in 2008.
The ONS
said that beyond the effect of ticket sales it was hard to put an exact figure
on the Olympic effect, although it cited increased hotel and restaurant
activity in London as well as strength from employment agencies.
The GDP
figures were also enhanced by comparison with the previous three months, because
the second quarter had an extra public holiday as part of the Diamond Jubilee
celebrations in June, as well as unusually bad weather, which reduced growth.
"There
is still a long way to go, but these figures show we are on the right
track," said Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
"Yesterday's
weak data from the eurozone were a reminder that we still face many economic
challenges at home and abroad."
