The UK economy failed to grow in April after particularly wet weather affected consumer spending.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded no growth for the month, which was in line with economists’ expectations.

The sluggishness comes after the UK economy recorded its fastest growth in two years from January to March, exiting the recession it fell into in the final half of last year.

The economy is a key battleground for the main political parties in the run-up to the general election on 4 July.

Spending on services grew for the fourth month in a row, but this was off-set by falls in production and in the construction industry.

The UK’s gross domestic product (GDP), which measures the value of goods and services produced in a country over time, had grown 0.4% in March.

Some parts of the services industry performed better than others.

The information, communication, and scientific sector grew the most, while shop trade fell.

The ONS said some retail businesses told them their output was dented because of the wetter weather, with rainfall for the month well above the long-term average.