Footfall on the UK high street fell 4.1% in August as high temperatures kept shoppers out of stores.

It is the largest decline in the past seven months. In the past two years, footfall in August has been flat.

The Experian Retail Footfall Index called the figures “depressing”, and added that the poor performance “cannot be entirely attributed to the weather although the sunshine encourages the staycation consumer makes the most of the opportunity”.

Sunday August 23 was the least popular shopping day due to the combination of The Ashes and soaring temperatures. The Index shows that for this day footfall slumped 11.7% year-on-year, as people continued to favour outdoor leisure activates and cricket over shopping.

The South west and Wales suffered the biggest decline in August, with footfall dropping 8.2%. The South East performed best with footfall dropping 0.7%.

The recent drop in house prices has encouraged visits to retail parks, according to the Retail Park Index. It showed footfall rose 1.3% in August