Strong sales in November, which included Black Friday, were likely to have had an impact on December’s figures

Retail sales fell at the fastest rate in nearly five years in December as higher prices and Black Friday deals in November caused people to buy less of everything from household goods to food and clothing.

Volumes dropped by 1.9 per cent from November, according to the Office for National Statistics, the biggest monthly drop since April 2012 and greater than the 0.1 per cent decline expected by economists. Compared with a year ago, sales were up by 4.3 per cent, below forecast growth of 7.2 per cent.

“UK retail sales volumes were terrible in December,” Alan Clarke, of Scotiabank, said. One explanation was inflation, which has risen sharply as higher petrol prices and the fall in the pound increased the cost of exports.

“This