1. **State the problem:** We need to find the average amount of money spent per customer in May, given that the number of customers increased by 16% from April and the total money spent decreased by 12% from April. 2. **Given data for April:** - Number of customers in April: $6800$ - Money spent in April: $42500$ 3. **Calculate the number of customers in May:** $$\text{Customers in May} = 6800 + 0.16 \times 6800 = 6800 \times (1 + 0.16) = 6800 \times 1.16 = 7888$$ 4. **Calculate the money spent in May:** $$\text{Money spent in May} = 42500 - 0.12 \times 42500 = 42500 \times (1 - 0.12) = 42500 \times 0.88 = 37400$$ 5. **Calculate the average amount spent per customer in May:** $$\text{Average} = \frac{\text{Money spent in May}}{\text{Customers in May}} = \frac{37400}{7888}$$ 6. **Simplify the fraction:** $$\frac{37400}{7888} = \frac{\cancel{37400}}{\cancel{7888}} \approx 4.742$$ 7. **Round to the nearest penny:** The average amount spent per customer in May is approximately £4.74. **Final answer:** $$\boxed{4.74}$$