THE North-west recorded 52,800 business start-ups in the last year, according to new research from Barclays.
In the UK, the construction sector grew by 34 per cent in the past year with about 40,000 new businesses set up, the highest ever number ever recorded.
In the North-west, the most popular trades were plumbing, joinery and painting.
Ian Goodrick, of Barclays said: "The record numbers of small business start ups has been driven by the boom in the construction sector as our obsession with home improvement continues."
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