British Retail Consortium said, shop prices in Britain recorded the biggest rise in six years in March, mainly due to a sharp increase the cost of non-perishable food.

Prices in shops rose by an annual 0.9% in March compared with 0.7% in February, the highest inflation rate since March 2013. The driving force behind this increase was an acceleration in food prices, which rose 2.5% on the year last month compared with a rate of 1.6% the month before. Non-perishable food prices rose at the highest rate since February 2013, up 3.4% on the year - a sharp increase on February's rate of 1.5%.

With continuing Brexit uncertainty, upward risks to inflation would persist, the BRC's chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said.