Retail sales fall in Great Britain as storms and cost of living crisis hit habits

Overall February figure shows 0.3% decline despite rise in clothing and petrol sales

• Business live updates: retail sales fall in Great Britain

Retail sales in Great Britain fell unexpectedly in February as consumers switched spending to eating out more after the economy reopened, while storms also deterred people from hitting the shops.

Official figures showed that sales fell by 0.3% last month after a 1.9% increase in January. Economists had forecast a 0.6% rise in February.