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Solihull-based pub landlord Enterprise Inns is hoping to reverse falling sales after takings were boosted during the heatwave.

Britain's biggest pub landlord suffered a 2.7% fall in like-for-like net income in the 18 weeks to August 3 - an improvement on a 4.2% drop over the previous six months that was blamed on severe winter weather.

It said the most recent five-week period, coinciding with a spell of glorious sunshine, had seen income grow.

The company, which leases out more than 6,000 pubs across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, said trading performance continued to improve.

"Whilst we are unlikely to deliver like-for-like growth for the second half in total, like-for-like growth remains our target for the final quarter," it said in a trading update.

However analysts at Numis said they were cutting full-year forecasts as they estimated the company's overall performance in the 44 weeks to August 3 was slightly worse than expected.

Enterprise said it had been faced with exceptionally poor winter weather in the first half of the year as well as the closure of its wine and spirits distributor Waverley.

In the third quarter it said it had faced tough comparisons due to the timing of Easter and the positive impact from the Euro 2012 championship and Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

But the company said that taking into account these unusual events, underlying income was still down - by around 2% in the first half and by 1% to date in the second half.

It has continued to sell off pubs, with disposals of 356 sites for £127 million so far as part of the programme.

Meanwhile the rate of business failures is falling and Enterprise said it was making progress with initiatives such as free Wi-fi, better food prices and discounted Sky entertainment packages as well as exterior redecorations.