Britain's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, dropped to 2.4 percent in the year to April this year, down from 2.8 percent in March, official figures showed on Tuesday.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the fall in the CPI inflation was from decline in transport costs, especially in prices of fuels and air fares.

"This is the first time that the growth in inflation has slowed since Autumn 2012. Over the last six months, the CPI 12-month rate has been particularly stable," said the ONS.

The only notable upward contribution to the CPI came from food and non-alcoholic beverages, with food prices rising 40 percent since 2007.

Meanwhile, Britain's retail prices index (RPI), another measure for inflation, fell to 2.9 percent in April, from 3.3 percent in the previous month.

The ONS's new inflation measure CPIH, which includes housing costs, grew by 2.2 percent in the 12 months to April, down from 2.6 percent in March.

The slower growth in CPIH than CPI is due largely to housing costs increasing more slowly than overall inflation for other consumer goods and services in the year to April, according to the ONS. Endi

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