LONDON, Sept 5 Reuters British consumer spending growth lost pace last month, adding to signs of a weakening economy, despite a doubling in cinema takings after the release of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer, Barclays data showed on Tuesday.

Annual growth in consumer spending on credit and debit cards slowed to 2.8 in August from 4.0 in July, which the bank blamed on a continuation of the previous month39;s rainy weather.

Part of the slowdown also reflected falling inflation and in particular a 20 yearonyear drop in the cost of vehicle fuel as spending on essentials such as food and fuel grew just 1.0, the least since April 2020.

Spending on cinema tickets was up 101 on a year earlier, driving a broader rise in spending on entertainment.

However, with consumer price inflation still running at 6.8 in July the highest of any major economy the data suggests overall household consumption continues to fall in real terms.

Muted spending growth in August is in line with other data sources, such as soft PMIs and stalling consumer confidence, suggesting that the bite from monetary tightening is starting to be felt more acutely, Barclays economist Abbas Khan said.

The Bank of England has raised interest rates 14 times since December 2021 and financial markets expect a further quarterpoint increase to 5.5 this month, then a final hike to 5.75 before the end of the year.

While Barclays said the rainy weather had weighed on consumer spending, separate figures from the…