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Eastern Daily Press: Alan Pain, regional director for the East of England at the Department for International Trade. Picture: DITAlan Pain, regional director for the East of England at the Department for International Trade. Picture: DIT (Image: Archant)

Exports from the East of England reached nearly £29bn in 2017, new figures show – a rise of 8.2% on the year before.

The latest numbers from HMRC show the region exported £28.9bn of goods during the year – the first full year since the UK voted for Brexit – and average out at £1.9m for each of its 15,000 exporters.

Alan Pain, regional director at the Department for International Trade, said the figures showed an appetite for British goods abroad.

'They back up the first-hand experience of the many companies in the East of England that are already feeling the benefits of increased global trade and finding success in overseas markets,' he said, adding that the DIT had more than 30 advisers in the East.

Office for National Statistics published in March show UK exports rose 11.5% to £625.9bn in the year to the end of January 2018, narrowing the trade deficit from £41.6bn to £28.8bn.