More than one in 10 shops lay empty in July – 10.3% of units – the highest level since January 2015.

According to the latest data from the BRC and Springboard, footfall dropped 1.9% in July, compared to a 0.9% decline during the same month a year ago.

Shopping centres suffered the worst fall, at 3.1%, while footfall to high streets was down 2.7%.