Warm weather and royal wedding help UK return to GDP growth

Shoppers returned to high street in May but factory output continued to shrink

The start of the summer heatwave has helped the British economy recover ground after grinding to a halt earlier this year, despite a severe downturn for the manufacturing industry in the three months to May.

Presenting its first estimates for gross domestic product (GDP) on a monthly basis, the Office for National Statistics said warmer weather and the royal wedding in May helped Britain bounce back from zero growth in March, when the "beast from the east" caused the UK economy to flatline.