The overall decline in retail sales was 0.7%, with clothing the most notable drop of 3.1%.

One reason analysts suggested for the falls was that consumers were putting off spending decisions before they knew what would be in the budget.

The retail sales figures were the latest in a string of downbeat reports on the UK economy, including higher-than-expected government borrowing figures this week and the latest inflation figures, which showed prices rose more faster than expected.

Other figures indicated that the economy barely grew between July and September.

Kris Hamer, chief information officer at the British Retail Consortium, said the fall in volumes had costly implications for retailers.

He said: “This extra income is essential as retailers face additional costs of more than £7bn in 2025 alone as changes to employer national insurance contributions, minimum wage rises and new packaging charges come into force.

“These changes will put pressure on an industry that already pays far more than its fair share in business taxes and make job losses and store closures inevitable.”