The Office for National Statistics said Tuesday that annual CPI inflation was 1.8% in August, down from 1.9% in July.
The rate was also just below the 1.9% level expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires last week.
On the month, the consumer price index was up 0.4%, compared with a fall of 0.6% in July. That was in line with expectations.
The annual rate of inflation was last lower in February 2005, when it was 1.7%. CPI inflation has now been lower than the BOE's 2.0% target rate for two months in a row.
That will further cement expectations that the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee won't see the need to raise interest rates for the rest of 2007, leaving bank rate at 5.75%.
The MPC had previously raised rates five times in the twelve months to August.
The ONS also said that the retail price index rose 0.6% on the month in August, and 4.1% on the year. The Dow Jones Newswires forecast was for it to go up 0.4% on the month and be at an annual rate of 4.0%.
In July the RPI fell 0.6% on the month and rose 3.8% in annual terms.
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