British car production collapsed last month.

That's according to British trade group The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

They say output slowed by the largest amount since the global financial crisis, as factories shut down for a Brexit that never came.

The figures show production fell 44.5% year-on-year to just over 70,000 units in April - almost 57,000 fewer than 12 months before.

And the sharpest fall since 2009, when Britain was in recession.

Car factories shut down last month to avoid the risk of supply chain disruption.

Automakers feared a potentially chaotic 'no-deal' Brexit on March 29th - the date Britain was due to leave the EU before that was extended to October 31st.

The SMMT said the Brexit delay came too late for carmakers to change plans, while global trade tensions also made the decline worse.

Automakers are a major part of the world's fifth biggest economy, as motor vehicles account for around 9 percent of overall manufacturing output.