UK inflation up

Consumer price index (CPI) inflation rose to 2.0% from 1.9% in January, hitting the Bank of England's target.

The rise was due mainly because of increased prices of items such as books, computer games and newspapers, and of course because of higher energy costs. A small upward effect came from furniture, household equipment and routine maintenance, as prices for some carpets increased in February compared with little change a year ago.

The figures were in line with analysts' forecasts and the Bank of England’s own inflation report last month which predicted that inflation would remain close to 2% for the next three years.

UK inflation rate is slightly below the average for the European Union as a whole. The provisional inflation rate for the enlarged EU 25 in February was 2.2%, compared with the UK figure for the same month of 2.0%.