The improved weather and a late Easter saw UK consumer spend in April grow by 3.7% compared to last year, with DIY and gardening categories having the best figures, according to Barclay Card.

Consumer spending in garden centres grew by 20% and DIY stores saw an increase of 12% year-on-year in April.

According to Barclay Card, the booming housing market helped with this growth with consumers investing in home improvement, continuing the big spending trend of the past year.

 A lot of consumers also used the internet to make purchases in April as online spending for gardening and DIY also saw impressive growth. Online spending for DIY shot up by 44% whilst garden centres saw an increase of 40%.

However, despite these encouraging signs, Barclay Card's ceo Val Soranno Keating warned that consumers will continue to spend cautiously until real wages rise.

She added: "Though many economic indicators continue to paint a positive picture and the talk is of a recovering economy, the improvements are yet to trickle down and positively impact on household budgets. 

"While the spending in April is encouraging, this is as likely to reflect the better weather and the long Easter weekend as any improvement in the economy."