The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits across Gloucestershire rose by 32.8 per cent in May.

And the wider figures for everyone claiming Universal Credit showed another sharp rise to more than 42,000.

The Claimant Count - which includes those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance and those Universal Credit classed as 'searching for work' - rose to 18,785 people in Gloucestershire, up from 14,150 the previous month.

That is an unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent, compared with the UK average of 6.4.

The Stroud District Council area had the biggest percentage rise with 1,010 new claimants - a 52.6 per cent increase to 2,930 claimants.

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But the biggest single rise in numbers came in the Cheltenham Borough Council area with 1,160 new claimants, up 43.9 per cent to 3,805, while Gloucester City Council's region rose by 945 (24.2 per cent) to 4,855.

The smallest rise came in the Forest of Dean with a rise of 17.5 per cent - well below the national average of 26.6 per cent - as 375 new claimants took the total to 2,520.

In the Cotswolds there were 645 new claimants (up 40.4 per cent) to 2,240 and in Tewkesbury, there were 510 new claimants - up 26.4 per cent to 2,440.

Cheltenham also saw the largest percentage increase in the county - and the biggest rise in numbers - for people claiming Universal Credit.

According to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions, 42,374 are now claiming the benefit across Gloucestershire.

There were 35.3 per cent more claimants in Cheltenham with 2,123 new applicants taking the total across the borough to 8,141.

Stroud's rose was just behind at 34.2 per cent - up 1,712 to 6,722 - with Cotswold also topping 30 per cent with a rise of 1,168 (31.4 per cent) to 4,890.

Gloucester has the largest number of claimants with 10,947 across the city, up 2,059 (23.2 per cent) from the previous month while Tewkesbury saw a 24.4 per cent rise, up 1,082 across the borough to 5,522.

The lowest rise again came in the Forest of Dean with 862 new claimants taking the total to 5,852, a rise of 17.3 per cent.