The British Retail Consortium (BRC) today published a report indicating that the retail sector is suffering, as fewer people have visited shops this year than last. The decline has hit high streets the hardest, with a 2.6 per cent drop, compared with a one per cent average. At the same time, the BRC reports that 11.2 per cent of shops are vacant, with higher than average vacancies in Northern Ireland, Wales, Northern England and Yorkshire.

The report comes just days after the BRC announced that people bought less this summer than they did a year ago, blaming inflation and the VAT rise for reduced demand.

Stephen Robertson, the Director General of the BRC, also blamed "worries about job prospects" and government cuts for the flagging retail sector.