By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The consumer price index in the UK rose 3.5% in April, the highest in 15 months, according to official data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday.
The figure was up from March's 2.6% and came above the market expectations of 3.3% for the month.
The largest upward contribution to the inflation rate in April came from prices for housing and utilities (7.8%), electricity (4.6%) and gas (12.2%).
A slight downward contribution came from actual rents for housing, which rose by 6.3%, a slower pace compared to 7.2% in March.
The ONS said the monthly inflation in the country was 1.2% in April, also up from 0.3% in March.
The monthly inflation figure also exceeded the market forecasts of 1.1% for April.
The UK's annual core inflation rate, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, was 3.8% in April, also up from 3.4% in March.