Retail sales fell more than expected in June due to poor weather and 'election uncertainty' the Office for National Statistics said.

New data showed that retail sales volumes shrank by 1.2% in June, which is twice the rate that economists had forecast. It was a drop from May’s 2.9% growth, the ONS said.

Shops that do not sell food, including clothes shops and department stores, showed a 2.1% fall during the month, down from a rise of 3.3% in May.

They blamed a mix of “election uncertainty, poor weather, and low footfall,” for their bad fortunes, the ONS said.

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Out of the eight sectors that the ONS tracks in its retail figures only one, those that sell petrol and diesel, saw growth during the month, up 2.2%.

Food shops were the second-best performing category during the month, but even so sales fell 1.1% in June.

ONS Chief Economist Grant Fitzner said: “Retail sales fell back from May’s recent high point with falls across all main shop types, with the exception of petrol stations. Department stores, clothing shops and furniture stores were the biggest contributions to the fall.  

“Across the second quarter as a whole, retail fell very slightly with notable falls in supermarket and clothing store sales, partially offset by growth in online stores.”