Retail sales in Belfast were boosted during the month of July because there was no Drumcree stand-off this year, the chief executive of the city's Chamber of Trade has said, writes Francess McDonnell.

Mr Frank Caddy said the absence of a protracted dispute between the Orange Order and the security forces had created a better trading environment in Belfast.

Latest research from the Office for National Statistics in Britain yesterday showed that retail sales during July grew by 0.6 per cent in the UK. The overall growth rate has climbed to 6 per cent, slightly higher than many economists had predicted.