Consumer spending grew by 5.5% across the region in November as consumers spent more on the forecourt and in supermarkets than the same month last year.

It marked the second highest year-on-year increase after record growth of 6.1% in October, according to data from Barclaycard.

Spending in supermarkets in the East of England was up 1.4% while petrol spending rose 11.7% as the region dipped into its pockets for essentials.

Restaurants were a top performing category with growth of 15.5%.

Travel spend growth also received a welcome boost of 6%, following a brief dip in October.

Paul Lockstone, managing director at Barclaycard, said: 'November was another strong month for consumer spending growth, the second-highest level we've seen this year.

'While some pockets of discretionary spending, such as that on entertainment, was up again by double-digits, most noticeable was the amount households are spending on day-to-day necessities, with supermarket shopping and petrol hitting an all-time high.

'Though there is little visible evidence of households yet being forced to decide between filling up the car or eating out with friends, the narrowing gap between essential and non-essential spend growth means they may need to look more carefully at how they allocate their cash once Christmas is out of the way.'