SHOPPERS shied away from clothing, footwear and big ticket items in May as the squeeze on consumer spending continued to hit UK retail sales.

Retail sales values were 2.1% lower on a like-for-like basis in May against a year ago – after two previous months distorted by the later Easter and extra bank holiday, the British Retail Consortium said.

The BRC said the figures – which also showed a 0.3% drop in total sales – reflected conditions on the high street as rising inflation, low wage growth and uncertainty surrounding Government cuts hit confidence.

Food sales were up 1.9% over the three-month period but showed a marked slowdown in May.Non-food sales fell by 2% over the March to May period.