Britons are set to spend more than ever online this festive season, with internet shopping predicted to rise 40 per cent to a record £7bn in the 10 weeks leading up to Christmas day.

The sales boom is being driven by increased investment in online services by big retailers such as Tesco and Argos, according to the Interactive Media in Retail Group, as well as shoppers’ growing willingness to buy online items such as clothes and furniture they would normally have bought on the high street.