The UK is in the grip of the longest recession since records began, according to an Adfero poll of leading economists.
Official statistics show that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased by 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2009, compared with a decrease of 0.6 per cent in the second quarter.
This means that the UK has seen six consecutive quarters of negative growth making this the longest recession since the quarterly GDP figures were first recorded in the 1950s.
The effects of the recession will be felt by Brits as rising unemployment and high debt levels are likely to make it harder to get credit and leave many with a bad credit rating.
The decline in GDP growth has also shocked economists who believed we would see a tentative return to positive figures this quarter.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, described the statistics as "very disappointing particularly as we are certain that both the Eurozone and the US returned to growth in the third quarter".
Vicky Redwood, UK economist at Capital Economomics, was also shocked by the figures.
She said: "The numbers we have got today show that the UK economy is still pretty deep in recession and suggest it is going to be a pretty long hard slog to get back into recovery."
Figures by the Office for National Statistics reveal that the employment rate and the number of people in employment have fallen.
