SUNNY weather in May sent people out shopping for food and drink to enjoy barbecues, official figures have shown.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a jump in both the volume and the value of high street sales during the month.

The volume of retail sales was 6.4 per cent up year-on-year, the highest annual growth since July 1997, while month-on-month sales rose 0.8 per cent, the highest since September last year.

The total value of sales in May was estimated at £16.5bn, 7.8 per cent higher than May last year, and the highest annual growth since 1996.

The ONS said the May figures continued to show the strong growth in value of spending shown in April's figures, driven mainly by sales in the food sector.

This had been boosted by the good weather, as people stocked up on food and drink to make the most of the hot bank holidays.