Experian said that 0.09% of UK businesses failed last month, which was up from 0.08% in August 2008, but "significantly lower" than the 0.11% recorded in July 2009.

Experian's findings are based on its newly launched monthly Insolvency and Distress Index, which is compiled using data from Companies House.

The total number of business insolvencies during August fell 23% compared with July to 1,796, which is the lowest number of monthly failures so far this year.

In the print sector there were six business failures, according to the index, representing a 100% increase on August 2008 and an insolvency rate of 0.23.

Rolf Hickman, managing director of Experian-subsidiary pH, which compiled the index, said: "Although it is too early to tell whether this is an indication of a more positive outlook, one thing is for sure: businesses are distinctly aware of the current environment and the need to be cautious in any business dealings.

"We have seen a significant increase in businesses monitoring the health of suppliers, customers and partners, as well as themselves, in order to ensure they do not suffer from the impact of another business becoming insolvent."