REGIONAL exports hit almost £4 billion for the first three months of 2012.

Total exports for Yorkshire and the Humber topped £3.976 billion between January-March, up from £3.919bn in the same period of 2011.

Mark Robson, international trade director for UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), said: “These are encouraging figures, demonstrating once again that as a region we can deliver impressive results despite hugely challenging conditions in domestic markets and the Eurozone.

“The eyes of the world are on the UK at the moment because of the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic celebrations, and now is a great time to capitalise on foreign interest and make inroads into global markets where economies are showing steady growth.”

The HMRC statistics show that machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and fuels and lubricants remain key export commodities from Yorkshire and the Humber, and that the number of regional exporters has increased by 1.5 per cent over the last year.