The easing of lockdown restrictions in April helped the UK economy grow at its fastest rate since July 2020 as households returned to high street stores and took advantage of hairdressers reopening, according to new data.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP) – a measure of economic growth – was up 2.3% in April although it remains below pre-pandemic levels. In July last year the economy grew 7.3%.
It would have been higher if not for a slowdown in the construction sector compared to strong growth in March.
Non-essential retailers drove much of the growth as they welcomed customers back into stores from April 12 in England, with clothes stores seeing a boost of 69.4%.
Overall growth in the services sector was 3.4%, although it remains 4.1% below pre-pandemic levels of February 2020.
This included restaurants, bars and cafes where customers could dine and drink outdoors again, seeing a 39% rise in growth.
Households also took advantage of the ability to…
