The High Street boom is continuing to cool despite a pick-up in sales last month.

The CBI distributive trades survey for Sept-ember showed many stores benefiting from new autumn and winter ranges.

Shops related to the housing market - those selling furniture, carpets and durable household goods - also reported strong growth.

The findings were an improvement on August's survey, when the weakest growth for almost two years was recorded.

Despite this, the CBI said underlying sales growth remained weak and well below the rates reported in the first half of the year.

Forty-one per cent of respondents said sales were up and 23 per cent said they were down compared with a year ago.

The balance of plus 18 compared with plus five in August and an average of plus 40 in the first four months of the year.

The CBI said for the first time in three and a half years, retailers were reporting sales were below average for a second successive month.

Alastair Eperon, chairman of the distributive trades panel, said: "The September rally in sales growth is heartening but it doesn't reflect the underlying slowdown experienced by many retailers.

"The expectations of further modest growth in October are significantly lower than what was achieved at the beginning of this year.

"Consumers are either being careful with their money or have less to spend."

Wholesalers' sales volumes remained broadly unchanged in the year to last month. But the underlying trend is now at its lowest rate for seven months although sales volumes in the year to October are expected to stabilise.

Motor traders' sales volumes fell sharply over the year.

The CBI said the sector had suffered from tough comparatives following last year's strong sales when the new registration system was introduced.