The Dutch economy grew just 0.2% in the third quarter of 2018, compared with the previous three months, the lowest quarterly rise in the past two years.

Nevertheless, year on year economic growth is still up at 2.4%, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday.

The drop is largely due to the downturn in the construction sector and lower investments in new homes and infrastructure. The building sector has shown considerable growth since the end of the economic crisis and is now settling down to normal levels, CBS chief economist Pieter Hein van Mulligen said.

Consumer spending growth, by contrast, has risen for the 18th quarter in row and is now rising at some 2%. Consumers are buying more on electronic goods but are also spending more in bars and restaurants, Van Mulligen said.

‘The sunny weather this summer, which is covered by the latest figures, certainly played a role in that,’ he said.