SALES THAW AFTER COLD

High street sales climbed slightly in April after shops recovered from the ravages of spring’s Beast From the East storm.

Offical figures showed sales bounced back 1.6% in the month as shoppers ventured out again.

Petrol sales had the biggest recovery, motoring up 4.6% compared with a 6.9% fall in March when roads were closed at the height of the snow storms.

But Rob Kent-Smith of the Office for National Statistics warned: “Over the longer term, retail sales growth has slowed considerably, with increases in food, household goods and internet retailing being largely offset by declines across all other types of retailing.”