Consumer confidence in June was lower than at any point last year, according to a GfK NOP poll.

Nick Moon, managing director of GfK NOP Social Research, pointed out that it was almost inevitable that there would be a drop in confidence in June following the royal wedding and bank holidays of the month before.

However, he added: “What will disappoint the government is that the drop is so large – wiping out half of last month’s gain and leaving consumer confidence lower than it was at any point in 2010.”

The GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index fell four points to minus 25 in June, six points lower than for the same month last year.

The fall was across all five of the index’s measures – the climate for major purchases, people’s personal financial situation over the last 12 months and over the next 12 month and the general economic situation for the last 12 months and the coming year.

As Mr Moon put it: “As we move into the summer, the outlook for the beleaguered high street remains a gloomy one.”