UK economy expanded by a quarterly rate of 0.6 percent in the July to September period The hot summer weather helped boost consumer spending, particularly of food and drink LONDON: Official figures show that the British economy grew in the third quarter of the year at its fastest pace for nearly two years. The Office for National Statistics said Friday that the economy expanded by a quarterly rate of 0.6 percent in the July to September period. That’s up from the previous quarter’s 0.4 percent and the highest recorded since the fourth quarter of 2016, just after the country voted to leave the European Union. The statistics agency said the hot summer weather helped boost consumer spending, particularly of food and drink. The high growth figure for the July-September quarter means Britain’s economy grew faster than the 0.2 percent quarterly tick recorded by the 19-country eurozone during the period.