September bounce in spending

According to Visa's UK Expenditure Index, monthly growth in September was recorded at a level of 3%, up from 1.2% in August.

The Index also shows the quarterly gain in spending to be the best recorded since July 2009.

It was a good month for the high street, as the principal source of spending was "face-to-face" ,with consumers splashing out on clothing and footwear in stores.

Food, beverages and tobacco also recorded a strong rise in spending.

The Index, which is published on a monthly basis, uses card spending data and adjusts it for a variety of factors to create a like-for-like comparison of consumer spending.

Although consumer spending has been subdued and weaker than in 2011, Jeremy Nicholds, EVP for commercial development at Visa Europe said the recent improvement means, "overall spending levels are once again growing".

"Hopefully this trend will continue throughout quarter four as we approach retailers' most important period in the run up to Christmas", he said.

Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, the financial information services company which compiles the data, said the increase in spending was led by people, "enjoying more leisure time at hotels and restaurants, as well as buoyant sales of clothing and footwear as people renewed their winter wardrobes."

"The data therefore add to evidence that the economy pulled out of recession in the third quarter, but still leaves the question of whether this is merely a temporary rebound or start of a sustained upturn", he said.

However despite the recent resurgence in spending, Williamson maintains that consumer confidence "remains historically low".

As uncertainty about the economy and jobs persist, he suggests the bounce in spending may be "as good as its gets for the foreseeable future."