Britain's consumer price index (CPI) rose at an annual rate of 3.7 percent last December, up from 3.3 percent the previous month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported Tuesday.
The ONS said the strong rise mainly came from rising food, fuels and air travel prices. Between November and December, food prices in the UK rose by 1.6 percent. Transport costs increased by 3.6 percent and air fares gained 42 percent. The cost of fuels and lubricants went up by 2.8 percent.
Consumer price inflation in Britain has been at 3 percent or more since January 2010, exceeding the official target of 2 percent set by the Bank of England, the British central bank.
The ONS report also said the broader index of retail prices, excluding mortgage payments, was up 4.7 percent in 2010, the same as the annual rate in November. Retail prices including mortgage payments were up 4.8 percent last year, a 10th of a point higher than in the previous month./.