Falling prices at the petrol pumps led to a bigger-than-expected drop in inflation in April, the first easing in the annual rate of price rises for six months.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said consumer prices index (CPI) inflation dipped to 2.4% in April, from 2.8% in March, as lower fuel costs and air fares pushed overall transport prices down for the first time in almost four years.
But the temporary dip in inflation triggered by weaker commodity prices will do little to ease the financial pain on households, with inflation expected to spike above 3% in the summer.
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