The Bank of England is likely to supplement its quantitative easing war chest next month to offer more support to an economy still struggling amid coronavirus restrictions on activity and fears of a no-deal Brexit, a Reuters poll found.

Shopper numbers at British retail destinations have fallen for a fourth straight week following tougher government measures to stem a second wave of COVID-19, market researcher Springboard said on Monday.

Britain should do more to help the unemployed find work, and fixing the huge hole in its public finances can wait until a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is well under way, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said.

Like thousands of employers in Britain, Alison Griffin fears she could soon have to lay off more staff at her huge events venue when the government ends its flagship coronavirus job support programme in three weeks.

Britain's unemployment rate rose by more than expected in the three months to August, before the end of the government's broad coronavirus job-protection plan and the imposition of new restrictions to slow the pandemic.

British grocery sales growth accelerated in September as shoppers geared up for new restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19, though there was "limited evidence" of a new wave of stockpiling, industry data showed on Tuesday.

British grocery sales growth accelerated in September, reflecting the end of the government's "Eat out to Help out" scheme and its call for people to return to working from home to stem a second wave of COVID-19, industry data showed on Tuesday.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said there would be new opportunities for people who lose their jobs after data on Tuesday showed a sharp fall in employment and a record rise in redundancies in August.

Britain's debt mountain is likely to rise and hold above 100% of gross domestic product for at least the next few years but Prime Minister Boris Johnson should be in no rush to tackle it with tax hikes, a think tank said.

British consumers ramped up their spending sharply last month as some households stockpiled and began their Christmas shopping early ahead of possible new coronavirus restrictions, according to surveys published on Tuesday.