Sunny weather boosted British retail sales in April and households grew cheerier this month, according to figures published on Friday that suggested consumers might be a bright spot in an otherwise drab outlook for the economy.

British retail sales rose 1.2 per cent in April, significantly overshooting analysts’ expectations as warm weather encouraged consumers to spend more. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the volume of goods sold to rise 0.2 per cent in the month, after a revised increase of 0.1 per cent in March.

UK retail sales soared in April, continuing a surprisingly strong start to the year in a further sign that consumers are proving resilient in the face of rising bills and Donald Trump’s global trade war.