The region's manufacturers may be over the worst of their recent woes, industry research showed yesterday.

The region's manufacturers may be over the worst of their recent woes, industry research showed yesterday.

According to the quarterly Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF) survey, manufacturers are suffering their ninth consecutive quarter of declining output and orders in the second three months of this year, although the rate of decline is at its slowest for more than two years.

The EEF said this was a possible signal that the engineering recession was almost over, adding that the sector should return to "modest growth" in the second half of this year.

Only metal products and motor vehicle firms reported falling output, with other transport and electronics reporting growth, particu-larly among producers of computer equipment.

EEF East Anglia director Caroline Gumble said: "The picture for the next quarter is more positive, however with greater optimism across the key indicators."