High street sales fell by far less than had been expected in October, raising hopes that the Christmas season may not be as bad as many retailers have feared.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed there was a 0.1% fall in total sales; far less than the 0.9% drop that many analysts had predicted.

Food sales were up by 1% while non-food items fell by 1.1%, the figures revealed.

One reason for the relatively small fall is thought to be the number of retailers that have heavily discounted items, with many effectively starting their January sales three months early.

Sales on the high street fell by 0.4% in September.