TRADERS in Oxfordshire suffered due to early Easter and the bad weather that came with it, according to retail experts.

The Office for National Statistics said UK sales in March fell to about £7.5bn from the previous month's £7.6bn.

Ginette Gower, spokeswoman for Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, said retailers in Oxfordshire had suffered as a result of "the timing of Easter and the bad weather".

She added: "Most retailers expect Easter to be a prime time of year for sales but unfortunately that did not happen.

"If Easter had come later in the calendar then the weather would have been warmer - retailers will now be hoping the next Bank Holiday weekends will be warm."

Ms Gower said traders in Oxford "had a lot to look forward to" as the new £440m Westgate Centre was being built.

She added: "In Oxford traders may have had a bad Easter but they have a lot to look forward to so they should not be downhearted.

"Bringing forward mid-season sales is a good way of trying to boost footfall, and I expect a lot of High Street retailers will now be trying that - they have to compete with the internet."

Rebecca White, supervisor at Whistles women's clothing shop in High Street, Oxford, said: "The new Westgate Centre with John Lewis is very exciting and will drive people into Oxford."

Hotelier Jeremy Mogford, who runs the Old Parsonage Hotel in St Giles, the Old Bank Hotel in High Street and the restaurants Quod, in High Street, and Gees, in Banbury Road, said hotel bookings remained unaffected by an early Easter and the cold spell, but bookings in restaurants had suffered.

He added: "Restaurant bookings have been a bit flat - an early Easter in March was not good news.

"I think trading has also been affected by apprehension caused by the EU referendum."

Keith Richardson, managing director of the retail sector at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: "The four-day Easter weekend normally brings with it bumper sales of food, spring fashion and plenty of DIY and gardening goods as families use the extra days off to spruce up their homes."