Britain recorded a public deficit of £19.4 billion (€21.2 billion) in September as the economy buckled under the weight of recession, official data showed yesterday.

The deficit - or "public sector net cash requirement" - for September compared with one of £13.3 billion during the same month in 2008, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

It added that the public sector net borrowing requirement - the government's preferred measure of public finances - soared to £14.8 billion in September. That was almost double the £8.7 billion in the same month one year ago, but less than the £15 billion forecast by analysts.

Both the "cash" and "borrowing" requirements were at the highest levels ever seen for the month of September.

A deep recession in Britain has sapped taxation revenues and ramped up government spending on unemployment benefits and economic stimulus measures.

The ONS added yesterday that net benefit payouts jumped by almost 10 per cent in September to £13.8 billion, compared with the same month of 2008.

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