From coffee to carpets, British consumers count the pennies

By James DaveyLONDON (Reuters) - Britons are cutting back on their daily coffee fix and hesitating before splashing out on bigger items such as new carpets, retailers said on Tuesday, further signs that consumer spending is slowing sharply ahead of a national election in June.Britons are starting to feel the strain of rising prices after last year's vote to leave the European Union sent the pound plunging, recent data and industry surveys have indicated.Official data last week showed British ret