LONDON (Reuters) – Spending on credit and debit cards in Britain fell last week to 97% of its pre-pandemic average in February 2020, official data showed on Thursday.

The sharpest falls over the past week came for spending in the ‘staple’ and work-related categories, although social spending and spending on ‘delayable’ goods such as clothing and furnishing were furthest below their pre-pandemic level.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)