High street sales have fallen back but still beat the rest of the UK

Latest figures suggest sales in Scotland rose faster than anywhere else in the UK.

Sales at Scotland's established retailers rose 3.9% last month compared to August last year.

The research by economists at the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) also suggested an east-west divide among the country's shoppers.

High street sales figures in August were not as high as those for July but they were still six-and-a-half times higher than for the UK as a whole.

Experts believe one reason for the increase could be that the poor weather encouraged tourists to go shopping rather than visit the countryside.

In addition, many stores in Glasgow and the west of Scotland reported a buoyant month.

Experts detect an east-west divide among shoppers

But signs emerged that spending in the east was starting to slow down, as a result of recent interest rate rises.

Some leading economists warn that, while Scotland's retailers are still out-performing other parts of the UK, growth is likely to slow down in the coming months.

Figures for July from the SRC showed sales grew by 7.4% - more than three points higher than anywhere else in the UK.