The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a better-than-expected expansion, beating forecasts of 0.1% growth.

It comes after a 0.3% contraction in Q4 2012, which many had feared would lead to another technical recession.

The ONS said the UK’s services sector provided the biggest boost to GDP, growing by 0.6% and providing 0.47 percentage points of the overall growth in the economy.

The economy also received a boost from production; these industries rose by 0.2%, largely due to mining & quarrying, which increased by 3.2% following a weak Q4 2012 when extended maintenance in the North Sea reduced output, the ONS said.

However, the ONS cautioned only around 44% of the data that will make up the final number had been collated so far.

Jeremy Cook, chief economist at the foreign exchange company World First, said: “So, it’s not a triple-dip recession. However, today’s sunshine fails to mask the dark clouds that are still gathering around the UK economy.

“Inflation is too high, consumer demand and business investment too low, and the yoke of austerity remains a crushing presence.

“The numbers also show that the UK economy has, in effect, stagnated for the best part of two years despite £375bn of asset purchases from the Bank of England, the lowest interest rates on record for the longest period of time in history, and countless budget cuts in the fiscal space.”