LONDON, Sept 18 — British retail sales recovered further in August following a virus-fuelled slump, aided by strong demand for household goods, official data showed today.

Sales by volume climbed for a fourth month running, by 0.8 per cent from July, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Retail sales were up four per cent since February, one month before Britain went into lockdown, the ONS added, as well as from August last year.

"Retail sales continued to grow, surpassing their pre-pandemic level,” ONS statistician Jonathan Athow said of August’s data.

"Sales of household goods thrived as the demand for home improvement continued and, despite a dip this month, online sales remained high.

"However, clothing stores continued to struggle with sales still well below their February level,” he added. — AFP