Britons rule in the album charts

Adele is at the forefront of a new British revival in the album charts with home-grown artists recording their best sales since the mid-1990s when Oasis and the Spice Girls ruled.

The singer's smash hit album 21 led the charge as domestic talent made up 52.7 per cent of overall sales in the UK album charts last year.

The 15-year high was also boosted by Coldplay, Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse and Olly Murs, who released albums that sold more than 500,000 copies.

US artists made up 32.7 per cent of UK album sales, with strong performances from Bruno Mars, Lady GaGa and Cee Lo Green.

But the figure was America's lowest contribution since 1999, according to the Official Charts Company.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Phonographic Industry, said: "A string of great albums by British artists has delivered the strongest performance in the domestic albums market since the days of Brit Pop and the Spice Girls in 1997."

In the UK singles market, British acts increased their overall share to 42.6 per cent in 2011, with big-selling tracks from Adele, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran helping to achieve the best domestic performance since 2009.