Clothing sales crunch hit high street in September as summer lingered and drivers struggled with surging pump prices

The high street took a hit last month as clothes shops suffered from unseasonably warm weather and surging pump prices.

Official figures showed retail sales volumes down 0.4 per cent in September, worse than the 0.1 per cent analysts had expected.

Businesses reported that the lingering summer had squeezed demand for autumn and winter clothing ranges. 

Drivers also had to devote more spending to filling up, with diesel costs spiralling amid the Middle East crisis. The quantity of fuel bought rose 2.2 per cent, returning to levels before the start of the Iran war. 

Despite the grim monthly news, volumes were up 0.7 per cent in July-September compared to the previous quarter. 

A 0.7 per cent single-month increase in August - revised up from a 0.5 per cent initial estimate - offset a 0.4 per cent fall in July.

Hannah Finselbach of the Office for National Statistics said: 'Retail sales grew in the latest quarter with growth led by motor fuel which, despite recent price increases at the pump, have now returned to monthly sales levels last seen before the start of the conflict in the Middle East.

'Food and drink sales also contributed to growth in the quarter, partly helped by the warm weather and the World Cup, although they fell back slightly in September.'

Jacqueline Windsor, Head of Retail at PwC UK, said retail sales volumes were up 0.8 per cent on the year, but fashion retailers had suffered in the latest period.

'The UK's fourth warmest September did little to encourage shoppers to buy warm seasonal clothing, particularly compared with the autumnal weather 12 months earlier,' she said.

'Although all other retail categories saw sales rise year-on-year, rising petrol prices meant that consumers had to divert more of their spending on filling up their cars – over 30 per cent more than last September - meaning less to spend on other things.'

Susannah Streeter of Wealth Club said: 'The summer bounce in UK retail sales has well and truly faded with conditions for shopping far from clement. 

'Sales fell 0.4 per cent, a much sharper decline than expected as there was little to nudge cautious consumers from their wary stance. 

'Households are trimming budgets cutting back on non-essential items, hurting clothing and footwear and home wares purchases in particular

'The unseasonably warm weather meant new Autumn and Winter ranges were hard to shift but high fuel prices are also doing damage to confidence. 

'Consumers are braced for painful energy bills to land, and many will be eyeing the projections for interest rate hikes nervously.

'The environment doesn’t bode well for the so-called golden quarter, with the run-up to Christmas so crucial for so many retailers.'