Summer was the greyest since 1988

Britons were given confirmation yesterday of what we realised when we stepped outside. It was a dismal summer, with the least sunshine since 1988.

Sustained sun eluded most of the nation for all but an average of 5.5 hours a day, according to the Meteorological Office, half a minute more than 1988. Helen Young, the BBC's senior forecaster, said the "feel-good factor" was missing despite temperatures half a degree centigrade higher than usual. "I've left the house this summer thinking, oh no, another day of nuisance cloud," she said.

One reason for the poor weather in the past three months has been low pressure over England, bringing more rain than usual – 224mm compared to the average of 202mm. Despite the weather, the English Tourism Council (ETC) said tourism figures were better than last year, when the countryside was hit by foot-and-mouth.

But wet weather led to slow retail sales in May, especially for garden furniture and barbecue equipment, the British Retail Consortium said.