British retail sales fell unexpectedly in November, dropping at their fastest pace since May after department stores and clothing retailers failed to repeat October’s strong sales, official data showed today.

The Office for National Statistics said retail volumes fell 0.3 per cent in November, confounding expectations for a rise of 0.4 per cent.

However, October’s retail sales were revised up to 0.6 per cent from 0.4 per cent. Year on year, retail sales were 3.1 per cent higher in November.