BOURNEMOUTH is continuing to boom when it comes to shopper numbers, despite Kate and William’s wedding fixing people to their TVs.

The latest footfall figures show there were 17 per cent more people in the town over Easter compared to the same time last year.

And there have been year on year rises every month since November.

The news is a welcome boost after severe declines during the recession.

The upwards trend kicked off with the arrival of Tesco and Primark and it has been boosted by the spring weather.

Town centre manager Roger Parker gave the news at May’s meeting of the town’s chamber of trade.

He said the most recent figures showed an 11 per cent increase for April.

And he added: “I think the growth has probably been suppressed by a few unusual days.

“One example is the Royal Wedding. I believe most people stayed at home to watch it and it was the afternoon before they decided to go out.”

He said there appeared to be three factors behind the consistently improving figures – the ‘staycation’ trend, the sunshine, and the late Easter.

He added: “It’s not just about footfall, it’s about bringing in more business.

“I heard a report from the Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association that the hotel and accommodation sector has enjoyed a particularly positive period over the last few months.”

However Mr Parker cautioned that the UK’s leisure spend was predicted to drop by 25 per cent and suggested people lower prices to accommodate that.

“It really is a competitive market out there, and we have to keep the momentum going,” he said.