Hopes of a good Christmas on the High Street were boosted today after a sharp rise in sales.

Official figures showed sales volumes last month were 0.4% higher than in September and 3.4% ahead of October last year.

It was the biggest year-on-year increase since May 2008 at the beginning of the recession.

John Lewis fuelled the feel-good factor with news that sales so far this week at its department stores are 15% up on the same period last year.

David Barford, director of selling operations at John Lewis, said: “This is really encouraging. Branches are noticing a definite Christmas feeling and our online operation continues to go from strength to strength.

“Customers are getting their homes ready for Christmas and are gift buying in earnest across beauty, toys, fashion and consumer electronics.”

The robust performance on the High Street was a rare piece of good news on a generally gloomy day for the UK economy.

The Office for National Statistics said shoppers are flocking to the High Street to buy clothes and shoes.

The figures showed sales volumes for clothing and shoe stores were 10.7% up on a year ago. Annual growth in non-food retailing reached 3.5% against 1.6% across food stores.

Analysts said shoppers are bringing forward online purchases due to fear of disruption from the postal strike.

The looming reversal of the VAT cut, which sees the levy go back to 17.5% from 15% on 1 January, also lured shoppers into stores.

Jonathan Loynes of Capital Economics said: “High Street spending is still holding up reasonably strongly in the face of some pretty adverse conditions for consumers.”