Retail sales in Great Britain rose last month due to motorists stocking up on fuel as they watched prices at the pump escalate rapidly because of the Iran war.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the volume of retail sales rose 0.7% last month, well above analysts’ forecasts of just 0.1%, as the quantity of fuel bought hit the highest level since 2021.

Fuel sales volumes surged by 6.1% last month as motorists filled up their tanks while the conflict in the Middle East triggered the biggest jump in fuel prices for more than three years.

The value of sales, the amount of money spent, for fuel was up 11.6% amid the jump in petrol and diesel prices.

The ONS’ senior statistician, Hannah Finselbach, saidretailers had commented “that many motorists had been filling up their tanks in March after the start of conflict in the Middle East”.

Excluding the impact of fuel buying, total retail sales rose at 0.2% month-on-month, bouncing back from a 0.6% fall in February. On Friday, the ONS revised down February sales from the 0.4% decline it estimated last month.

The ONS said that sunnier weather helped retailers, and in particular clothing stores in March.

Textile, clothing and footwear stores reported a 1.2% month-on-month sales increase, while department stores saw sales rise 1.1%.

The only retail sector to see a month-on-month decline in sales was supermarkets and food stores, which saw the volume of sales fall 0.8%.

“This rebound suggests that while consumer confidence remains under scrutiny, spending has not stalled in tandem, and shoppers remain willing to engage where purchases feel timely and relevant,” said Deann Evans, managing director for Europe at Shopify.”