No good news for retailers as retail sales plummet 3.9% in June, wiping out the unexpected 3.6% increase recorded in May.
Both food and non-food saw their steepest fall since the Office of National Statistics records began in 1986 with the effect that annual growth was cut to 2.2%.

Commenting on the figures director general of the British Retail Consortium Stephen Robertson said, "The sharp monthly fall in sales volumes confirms May's, unexpectedly high, sales growth was a one-off triggered by summer sun finally arriving.

"The scale of the month-on-month fall in sales volumes is partly because it's a comparison with May's high growth but does show there are few signs yet of tough conditions improving."