Shoppers continued to shun the high street with sales volumes falling for the fifth consecutive month—the longest continuous stretch on record, according to official statistics. The drop was due to a fall in sales volumes in non-food stores, with lighting and furniture businesses the hardest hit, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Sales volumes in September were down 0.2 percent, following a 0.6 percent fall in August, although they remain 4.2 percent above pre-pandemic levels in February 2020. Fuel sales rose in the final weeks of September as panic buying led to many forecourts running dry after suppliers said the HGV driver shortage was affecting deliveries. Fuel sales rose 2.9 percent. Food sales volumes were also up by 0.6 percent, the ONS added, and remain 3.9 percent above pre-COVID levels. But while shoppers opted to avoid high streets, sales online continued to rise and now account for 28.1 percent of all spending—up …