LONDON (FWN) - Growth in UK retail sales was 8.1 pct in September, up from 7.9 pct in August, with like-for-like value sales improving to 5.7 pct year-on-year from 5.6 pct a month earlier, the British Retail Consortium said. The BRC, which represents 90 pct of UK retailing, explained in its latest monthly retail sales monitor, that last year's comparative performance was affected bythe fuel crisis, which brought the UK to a virtual standstill. This, it said, helped offset the impact of the terrorist strikes on the US. The BRC also said the three-month growth rate remained the same at 5.8 pct for like-for-like sales while total sales rose slightly from 8 pct to 8.1 pct