All High Street sectors saw drops in sales for the week ending January 10th, according to figures from BDO's High Street Sales Tracker, due to the cold weather.

Overall, like for likes were down by nearly 13 per cent, the worst outcome since the snow-induced poor performance seen last February.

In non fashion, which was down 8.9 per cent, takings were down across the board - with the exception of stores focusing on outdoor items.

Lower footfall was the main contributory factor to poor fashion results - with the sector decreasing 12. 6 per cent. Homewares was down 26.9 per cent.

However, non store sales rose by 37.6 per cent, although growth rates were down compared to recent weeks, suggesting that some shoppers were worried about delivery problems.

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"After an almost unanimous report of increase in trade over Christmas, the severaly cold weather conditions seriously undermined High Street trading, with all sectors suffering from the lower footfall," said Don Williams, head of retail at BDO LLP.

"We still expect 2010 to be a challenging year for the retailer, particularly in the second half where tax increases and public spending cuts become a reality."