SALES of the Oxford-built Mini dropped by more than 20 per cent in the UK after the Government’s car scrappage scheme came to an end, it emerged last night.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 2,234 Minis were sold in July, compared to 2,816 in the same month last year.

It means the car has dropped out of the country’s top 10 best sellers list after hitting sixth place in June with 4,925 sales.

Plant bosses pointed to the launch of new models next month, while industry experts suggested the scrappage scheme had also played a part in the fall.

But spokesman Rebecca Baxter said: “Sales in July were in line with our expectations.”

Global sales of the car also fell in July with 18,241 sales, down 5.4 per cent on the same period last year.

Mini’s parent firm BMW said the launch of the new Countryman model in September along with a facelift and new engines for the existing range, meant potential customers were waiting before buying.

It explained orders for the Austrian-built Countryman, which comes with the option of four wheel drive, were already “well over plan”.

Nationally, sales of new cars in the UK dropped 13.2 per cent – the first fall for a year.

The decline was partly a result of the ending of the Government-backed car scrappage scheme where drivers were able to trade in their vehicles over 10 years old and receive £2,000 off the price of a new model.

The initiative boosted sales in the second half of 2009 and was extended until March this year.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “A drop in private registrations compared to the scrappage-fuelled months of 2009 was expected and has brought the first market decline for 12 months.

“Subdued consumer confidence and a still fragile economic recovery make the outlook for the remainder of 2010 challenging, but a stronger than expected first half means full-year volumes are still forecast to exceed 2009’s total.”

While July saw a dip, overall Mini sales for 2010 in the UK are up by more than 21 per cent on the recession-hit first seven months of last year with 24,500 cars sold.

Worldwide, sales are 5.6 per cent higher with 127,543 cars sold.