ANKARA
The U.K. rate of inflation fell to negative levels last month, the Office of National Statistics said in a report on Tuesday.
The annual rate of consumer price inflation fell to negative 0.1 percent in April, according to the report.
It is the first time since the 1960s that inflation has fallen into negative territory. It stood at 0 percent in March.
In practice, this means an item costing 100 pounds in April 2014 would have cost 99.90 pounds a year later, the report explained.
The Bank of England has expressed concerns about deflation, an economic slowdown in which consumers delay purchases and growth slows. Negative inflation does not mean that an economy is facing deflation but it is a discouraging sign.
The bank is targeting 2 percent inflation as part of its vision for economic recovery by the end of this year.
