Online sales in April rose 13% to £4.4bn according to figures from the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index.

Home and garden retailers performing particularly well as shoppers prepared for the start of summer with sales soaring 32% in the sector.

As the warmer weather set it sales of clothing were also helped, up 21% on last year.

In the last three weeks of the month there was also a noticeable rise in sales of beer, wine and spirits online as shopper stocked up ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

IMRG director of information Tina Spooner said: “We continued to see double-digit growth in the online retail sector during April, with the home and garden sector recording particularly strong growth of 32% year-on-year. The fine weather seems to have encouraged DIY enthusiasts and gardeners to get spending online, resulting in the average basket value for home and garden retailers soaring 64% compared to the same month last year.”

Sales fell month-on-month across the board, in line with seasonal trends for April when Mothers day falls in mid-to-late March.