Heavy rain over the bank holiday made it a washout for retailers as shoppers opted to stay indoors rather than visit the high street.

Footfall was as down by 14.1% yesterday as much of the UK experienced rainfall while shopper numbers fell 5.4% over the three-day holiday period.

The high street fared worse, down 7.3% over the weekend, while shopping centres recorded a 6.3% fall in shoppers.

Out-of-town retail parks performed better, with traffic up by 0.5% over the weekend, as shoppers continued to stock up on DIY products.

Springboards retail and insights director Diane Wehrle said: “While we saw some positive results from smaller shopping centres, retail parks continue to triumph over the high street and shopping centres drawing people out with the convenience of parking, cafes and goods for those all-important DIY projects.”