30,856 commercial vehicles were sold in May, 1.2 per cent up on 2004. Truck sales reached 5,241, up 15.8 per cent on last year. However, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) were down 1.5 per cent, with 25,288 units sold.

Alan Pulham, franchised dealer director for the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) said: 'We are delighted to see that the market is remaining buoyant overall, but sales may contract slightly as the year progresses.

'The consumer spending slowdown, which has already impacted on car sales, could lead to a slight drop in demand for commercial vehicles based on current levels of order intake. Despite this, the market for these vehicles remains fundamentally strong.'