Paris, May 14 (IANS): France's Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 4.8 per cent in April on an annual basis, with a monthly increase of 0.4 per cent, the country's National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) said.

The institute attributed the CPI rise to the acceleration of service, food and manufactured goods prices, reports Xinhua news agency.

The prices of transport services accelerated due to airfares and transport by road prices, according to INSEE.

The prices of meat, bread and cereals, milk, cheese, eggs, oils, fats and coffee increased during the month of April, it noted.

Clothing and footwear prices increased as well.

In April, the rise in energy prices remained very sharp on yearly basis at 26.5 per cent, but a little less than in March which stood at 29.2 per cent.

The prices of petroleum products slowed down due to the discount on fuel put in place at the beginning of April by the government for a period of four months.

But the prices of electricity accelerated due to the influence of market prices, said the INSEE.

In March, France's CPI increased by 4.5 per cent, reaching its highest since December 1985.